The Goddesses Son
by JustJokingJosie
Summary: Many centuries after the last reincarnation of the legendary hero, a young pirate named Link found his life torn from him. Being blinded by anger Link became a known enemy of Hyrule. However, when his biggest theft scheme leads him to become attached to a mysterious girl, he finds himself in middle of something much bigger than himself, something that could destroy the world.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Uncertainty

* * *

The sea was calm, not a storm cloud overhead. It was the perfect ideal sailing weather, a limpid night where every star could be seen. A Man-Of-War battle ship named Queen Rutela was navigating on their patrol route in the sea surrounding Hyrule; onboard, the crew of the craft gradually became more restless at their posts. Their formally dressed general stood in arms reach of the wheel, which was in the hands of his helmsman. He had short spikey chocolate hair and eyes that matched the ocean. His general uniform was painted with gold armor and had a long broad sword at his side. The general wasn't ancient like is superiors but had enough experience that he had a large scar trace across his brow down to his right cheek.

A man of the crew aboard the ship approached him. "General Devegvar?" asked the soldier to his respective superior.

"Yes commodore?" answered the man with full authority as he blankly answered.

"I believe I am not alone when I say the seas have an eerie presence about them. The quietness is…unnerving," The commodore spoke in a whisper as if to keep undetected.

"Aye, it is a feeling that does not bode well, a foul aura indeed."

"Agreed," Spoke the commodore that was now searching the waves for a warning.

There was pure silence on the ship, as everyman became a mute. Everyone stopped and began staring into a dense interminable fog that appeared near the close ranged mountains. The air seemed to cool as a bell slightly hummed from the toss of the waves.

"What do you suppose that is sir?" the commodore questioned weakly with a disheartened look. General Devegvar however, did not respond, he was too preoccupied with a faint shape fabricating from the shadows. The general's brows furrowed, as he tried to comprehend the shape. Out of the shadows came a large vessel with legendary ripped red sails and a figurehead of the goddess Din stretching on its bow. General Devegvar knew the ship and its captain all too well.

"Pirates…" He muttered under his breath.

The crew began to talk between one another about the vessel drifting towards them and frantically gossiped about the mysterious ship.

"It's Din's Wrath…!" called out a one of the sailors in pure fear. The men all wore faces of panic and horror, looking to their general for his orders; it was only thing they _could_ do.

Din's Wrath was known for its speed when striking at its prey making it nearly impossible to escape its terror. With its monstrous strength and precision, it was believed unbeatable and feared by all, even by the most ghastly of pirates. Some believed the captain was a son of the goddesses and blessed with immortality; they say that he isn't even a man, but a devil dressed in mans clothes.

"All hands to your posts! Lode the cannons! Take up arms and prepare for war at sea! Change into full sail," boomed the general with his unreadable expression. He held too much pride to show the doubt he felt. Pipit Devegvar was terrified by Din's Wrath as a child, and seeing it in reality was no better.

Cannons roared like thunder as the battle began. Both ships were circling in a sudden storm of wind and rain. The men aboard the Hyrulean ship drew their swords while others bombarded the ship with the side cannons. Howls of men could be heard as Dins Wrath rammed into Pipit's ship, leaving a large, deep gash in the vessels body. Mortar shots rumbled the sea as they were sent from Din Wrath into the ultramarine coloured sky. Crew of the Hyrulean ship began scattering as the mortars struck down, causing devastating damage to the war vessel.

Roars of the beastly pirates rang in the ears of the Hyrulean's as a boarding began. Ghostly figures swung on ropes, others rapidly threw themselves across desks without time for the soldiers to recover. The sharp swings of swords came raining down in an intense contest for bloodshed. Men from the Hyrulean vessel began falling one by one, devastating their numbers.

"We cannot take much more of this sir," shouted the generals quartermaster, "We need to surrender!"

"Surrender to Pirates? Are you mad?" yelled Pipit. He looked around him and saw his crew dying, being slaughtered by ravaging swords and cannon fire. An explosion near Pipit sent him and the surrounding soldiers to the deck. The ship was in scarce condition and if the attacks continued the ship with its men would be sent to the depths of the icy water below. Sadly, his quartermaster was right.

"Orders my lord!" The shout of his quartermaster released Pipit from his thoughts.

"I order a surrender! We have been defeated!"

The crew did not hesitate place their hands above their heads and land on their knees, throwing their weapons to the wooden floor. The general spoke, "We surrender pirates! Hold your fire!" Silence slowly spread across the crews of each ship as Pipit walked cautiously towards the ship next to his as he scanned the faces. Pipit couldn't tell how long he lumbered across his deck, seconds? Minutes? I didn't matter he felt like he was waking onto the devils doorstep. When he arrived at the ships end, two pirates greeted him by holding him at gunpoint. Once aboard, the pirates pushed the young general onto his knee. Pipit glared trying to con not being threatened, pirates seemed to sense fear.

"You surrender and yet you still think you can give us orders?" came a voice from the high deck of the ship. It echoed through the foggy mist and moved with the waves. General Pipit faced the voice, strangely recognizing it.

"Ahoy _great_ general Pipit Devegvar!" the pirate captain mocked with the reverberation of the laughter of his crew. The captain wore a black coat with a red scarf wrapped around his waist. You could see the white of his shirt and the shine of his curved sword and pistols. He didn't have facial hair, which was unusual for pirates. His hair was long enough to reach his ears and was dark amber. It made his eyes seem to glow with the sharp crystal blue irises that he used to stare into your soul.

"Pirate captain Heiden Nohansen," Pipit spat back.

"Welcome aboard Din's Wrath, general," said the pirate with a taunting bow of his upper torso while he tipped his hat and then flicked it back into place. "Would you be so kind to tell me why you of all people, where sailing in _our_ waters?"

" _Your_ waters?" Pipit muttered with a disgusted look that had spread across his features. Captain Nohansen slowly creped along the creaking boards of his deck till he came face to face with Pipit and smirked arrogantly.

"Aye, our waters. The Terminan Sea."

"Hyrule and Termina have been in a alliance for hundreds of years, we have neighbored these waters since time itself."

"I once thought that too but I found that you Hyrulean's seem to forget your little promise you once made. By the goddesses, your king wants us dead!" Heiden spoke as he raised his arms, "What do you have to say for yourself? Hmm? You and your precious kingdom?" captain Nohansen said curtly.

"Have you lost your mind? Hyrule never has broken our alliance with the Terminans." Pipit spoke confidently.

"Oh, but you have…"

The captain turned his back to Pipit and spoke, "It seems this conversation is futile and it drains me so," the pirate paused and stared into the black horizon. "You are free to go back to your naive country now lad, but don't let me see your face here again or _no-one_ will ever see _you_ again." The captain glared at the young general with the radiant light of a close lantern shading his face. He queued his men to send Pipit back with a quick nod as he turned away but not before he spotted the pirate captain approach a young male with stunningly similar features as the captain, he could have been his son… It dawned on him, the boy in front of him had the same muscular build and possessed the same sharp blue, soul-searching eyes the pirate captain possessed. The only difference was he had blond locks and blue earrings on his ears. It was clear; captain Nohansen had a son.

"In celebration of another victory from our loyal captain Heiden Nohansen! May the goddesses watch over our cherished leader!" shouted one very drunk pirate to the others. All pirates in the hideout drank in cheers till they were swallowing air. Captain Nohansen watched his crew and chuckled at their drunkenness. As he sat in his wooden chair, he noticed a younger male sitting in a windowsill. He stood up and walked over to the young man and placed a hand on their shoulder.

"Somethin' bothering you son?" called Heiden.

The boy let out a sigh and answered, "No, father."

"Then why are you here sulking here when you could be out there with the other lads getting a drink?"

"You know I hate alcohol," said Heiden's son with a grin forming on his jawline.

"Aye I do," the pirate captain said in agreement as he nodded his head in surprise, "and yet I never understood why, " said Heiden with a low snicker and a smirk, then gestured the boy down from the window, "Come, follow me Link."

He led Link with him to the center of the room and gathered all the attention possible from the intoxicated men.  
"What are you planning?" Link whispered to himself unsure of his father's intention.

"Listen here you blathering misfits!" called captain Heiden Nohensan, "Look, I didn't win you nothin' today, you won it for yourselves mates! Those Hyrulean soldiers couldn't touch us and they never will! Ha! I bet they're still shaking in their boots for goddesses sake!" The crew cheered in agreement there was a slight silence, "Now, I think it is time I announce my son, Link Nohansen, has completed another year on this vast Earth! Today fifteen years ago he was just a wee lad with me and his mother playing with little twigs," he paused for a moment of thinking to the past, "but now look at him! My son, scarring soldiers and plundering military ships as if child's play!" He wrapped one arm around Link and gave him a shake, and then released his grip. This received a small chuckle from the crew. He looked into his son's eyes and spoke, "He may yet only be a child, but he holds the strength and wisdom of beyond his years…and I could never be more proud to call him my son!" With the end of his speech he raised Links arm into the air and received a yell of encouragement and congratulations from the crew.

"Father…" Link started as he pulled his arm down.

"Oh, come on Link, It's your birthday! Try to have a little fun." Heiden interrupted

"Father it's not that, may we talk…alone?" Heiden's expression turned more serious and he nodded. They walked into the captain's quarters of their hideout and shut the doors. The men were too drunk to care anyways.

"What is this about Link?"

"Why are we doing this father?"

"Well that's a little vague Link…" Heiden chuckled as he looked at his son with curiosity.

"When did we choose piracy? Why are we not in the military fighting for those who cannot? You said so yourself. I have skill, so why don't I use it for the good of the people? Don't you feel any guilt by stealing or by killing the innocent who all have families waiting of their return? It just feels wrong," Link stopped and stared into a window blankly.

"Where is this coming from Link? Did your mother tell you that?" Link didn't need to answer for Heiden to know his wife once filled his sons head with her morals.

"I wasn't always like this; a pirate." Heiden spoke as Link responded by walking towards his father in interest. "After you were born and your mother died of illness I joined the Hyrulean navy, Link."

"What? But you said you hated the army, let alone Hyrule!" Link yelled completely stunned.

"Its true, I do hate them, but I joined because like you said, _'To fight for those who cannot.'_ I wanted to support my country and I thought the navy was the best option to do so."

"What happened?" Link questioned in a bewildered tone.

"I was betrayed by my superiors," he paused as he starred into the shine of his swords hilt, "One day we were on a normal mission to protect a fleet of schooners full of cargo from enemy ships. I didn't understand why we came as guard; it was a secret route through the Goron Mountains that no one knew about. Still, as faithful men do, I followed orders. Later I discovered our leading general, Lyron, ordered this mission even with the protest of our captains. As we were on our journey, Terminan warships suddenly attacked us. They had us surrounded. Our ship was taking massive amounts of damage while the other ships had already touched the sea floor. I distinctly remember the words I heard spoken by the general of the Hyrulean ship that was taking down our fleet. _"Dead corpses tell no tales, that's why we leave no survivors"_

Link stopped and starred at his father with sympathy and shock. "Our leader officer was shot in the middle of crossfire and perished at my side. He was one of my greatest friends. He told me to get his men out alive before the enemies sunk the ship. I doubted that anyone could ever get out of there without dying but I tried for the sake of my fallen friend. I took control of the ship and I ordered cannon fire at the mountains to blockade the enemy's ships, which left us with only one to take down. I sailed closer to get a better range and saw my high-ranking general on the Terminan ship. Our own general sold us out all for petty gain of cargo and riches held onboard. I swore to myself if we escaped I would take down that general with my own hands. However, that slippery bastard cowers with the protection of the Hyrulean army, he is untouchable." Heiden stopped and looked at his son, he searched his face looking for a response.

"So you fled to Termia thinking if you returned they would execute you for treachery."

"Exactly"

"But why claim to fight for Termia? They were the ones who attacked you."

"This country is just as corrupt as Hyrule has become, but it lacks an official government to protect itself. So I do what the army ignores," Heiden drew a smirk on his face, "like patrolling our borders for trespassers."

Link smiled, however it quickly faded.

"What would mother think of us?" Link spoke with in a hushed tone with a conflicted look on his features, "surely she'd be disgusted by all we've harmed."

Heiden sighed and turned to his son with a dishearten tone of anger.

"My sympathy for those cowards died with her, and I am no more of a monster than those Hyruleans she was so persistent on _protecting._ " Heiden spoke with the faint fire in his eyes that came directly from his soul.

"Mother was Hyrulean too father, proving they are not all evil. For goddesses sake, your Hyrulean yourself!" Link stated. He wanted to protect his mothers reputation, even if he only had obscured memorizes.

"Why do you think we left that place? When she died we were casted out and they wanted me killed! Them and their tyrant of a king with their egotistical aristocrats! Do you know how hard they tried to take her away from you and I? Do you?

"Casted out? What do you mean-" Link tried to explain but was cut off mid-sentence.

"Never mind that…" Heiden said a bit to quickly, which made Link even more curious.

Heiden let out a deep breath and began again, "Look, those men may claim they are fighting for the people, but past all their pretty words they only seek riches and control. I fight for the people; no man should abide by the rules of an unjust nation. " Heiden said as he stood up and walked to his table of maps in sighed in frustration, he examined the maps nonchalantly.

Link got to his feet as well and walked closer to Heiden "Father, what are you hiding from me?" Link questioned carefully.

"I grow weary of this conversation and I would like it if I could be left alone at the moment. You are dismissed."

"But-"

"You. Are. Dismissed!" Heiden spoke sternly.

Link did not protest again for he suddenly had a liking for the floor and starred at it in frustration.

After a very long and deafening silence, Link looked to his father with mixed feelings and turned to the door and wandered out into the hall.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you, not now." Heiden spoke to himself in the candlelight; he brushed up against a cabinet and tugged at its handle. Inside was a dusted small frame with a hand drawn sketch of to figures with a small child giggling in their arms.

It was a damp morning for the once drunken crew as they struggled with their hangovers and drowsiness. Link was finishing putting on his gear when he heard a knock on his door. "Link?" came his fathers voice from the other side of the door. Remembering their conversation the night before cause Link to furrow his brow as he answered

"Come in father."

"Good morning, ah, how did you sleep?" Heiden started as he tired to make small talk.

"Good…" Link started as he stood up "I don't mean to be rude but is there something you need?" Link asked giving a slight smile.

Heiden sighed as he began to speak, "Look, about last night, I'm sorry about what I said and-"

"It's alright dad," Link said as he began to stand and gave a reassuring smile. "I shouldn't have brought it up" There was a pause.

"No Link its not that, its-" There was a pause, Heiden sighed as look through a large window, "You're a good man son, your mother would be so proud." Links father cheerily whispered as he turned a placed his hand on Link arm. "Now, I believe it's time we head out yes? The seas won't sail themselves." Heiden spoke with a grin spread across his jaw and he laughed to himself. Link nodded in agreement and they both head out the door.

They where greeted by the crew and as the arrived at the port. The weather was pure paradise as the waves where calm and quietly crashed the shore as the waves moved in.

"It's almost to good to be true, I've never seen the sea so still." Link beamed blissfully.

"Aye, a good sign." Heiden replied.

"Lets hope you didn't just jinx us" Link quipped with a smirk. Heiden chuckled and response. Swiftly a member of the crew wandered up to Link and Heiden. The sailors name was Roderick; he was the captain's most trusted comrade and right-hand-man.

"Sir, the ship and crew are prepared for departure. We will leave on your command."

"Alright, thank you for the notice Roderick." Heiden chimed as he fixed his hat. Roderick just nodded in acknowledgment. Heiden turned to Link as he reached out an arm in the direction of Din's Wrath.

"Shall we?" Heiden asked with his scheming eyes.

"You give the order," Link beamed as he walked with his father to their vessel.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hope you enjoyed the story thus far!

Friendly reminder that there is a difference between "Hyrulean" and "Hylian." I mention this as it will come up later in the story. Please feel free to leave a review, critique, or suggestion. Thank you! :)

 _Disclaimer: I don't not own "The Legend of Zelda". All rights belong to the respective owner(s)._


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_ _: The Last Sunset_

As Link stood at the vessels' rail staring into the endless waters below, he inhaled the scent of salt and the summer's breeze. He had always loved sailing. Thanks to his father, when Link was at the age of seven he had already learned the basics of the controls and mechanics of the ship.

Idly, Link called to his father, who was at his side at the helm, "Where are we headed?"

Links father looked through the corner of his eye and gave a quick smirk, "I want you to meet an old friend of mine, names Russell. He helped keep an eye on you when I was preoccupied with serving in the army."

"That's strange, I don't remember him…" Link admitted.

"You were just a tike back then, I'd be surprised if you did," Heiden remarked with a chuckle.

Dins Wrath skimmed closer and closer to the Hyrulean border, making Links instincts flare with unease; there was no other ships, no cargo vessels or navy warships protecting Hyrule's border. While Din's Wrath floated over the water the air seemed to chill as it whistled wildly in Links ears. Links hand found its way to the hilt of his sword; the whole scene felt amiss.

"Father, something's not right—, " Without warning Link was cut off by a hefty shock that impacted the Man-Of-War, causing the crews footing to stumble. Violent canon fire blared through the pirate's ears as a rain of metal and fire washed over them.

"Hyrulean convoy sighted off the starboard quarter! She's making haste towards us captain!" Sounded the lookouts voice shouting from the mast of the crow's nest.

"An ambush?" concluded Heiden as face contorted with resentment; he added, "They must have spotted us while traveling through the Great Bays passage," Heiden hollered out, "Hold fast men! Uncork the cannons! Make ready to fire!" The men scrambled to their positions, competing against time to load the cannons. Crimson colours from explosions contrasted on the ultramarine waters that clawed below. Link ran to the ships starboard rail to size up their enemies with a spyglass. Before him was an enormous arrangement of monstrous Hyrulean ships, all heavily stocked with rows of cannons, mortars, and guns.

"Goddesses be damned..." murmured Link. As he laid eyes on their new formidable foe, Link felt like he must be trapped in a nightmare and wanted to wake up. Link had never felt fear's clutches so intensely before, it was sickening. Racing back to his father's side, he bleated, "Father! We can't fight them, we're outnumbered!"

"We can't fall back now—," Crashing ammunition rattled the vessel once again, causing Link and Heiden footing to waver, "If we try escaping now, we will be forced farther into Hyrulean territory, who knows how many more ships could be waiting closer to their shores. We're cut off." Reasoned Heiden.

"Then what do we do?" Panicked Link. A brief silence passed over the two pirates; finally, Heiden glanced at Link and stated, "We fight." Heiden called out to the rest his crew with his robust voice, shouting over the chaos, "We fight for victory or die trying! Make 'em pay for challenging for most fearsome pirate crew ever to set sail on these waters!" He fixed his field of view on Link and handed him his second duel sword from its sheath, "They can kill us, but not what we stand for," He gazed back upon the crew, "Let us show 'em true strength!" Mighty war cries of the pirates flew in the wind for all to hear.

Link looked up at his father, determination filling his veins. Clasping his father's forearm Link gave a fortified, "AYE CAPITAN!" A returned "AYE!" came booming from the crew.

As Heiden steered Din's Wrath towards their enemies he shouted, "Prepare for broadside!" The crew rushed to load the cannons, find their posts and take up arms. When the ship reined in closer, Heiden issued, "Fire!" Loud roars from the cannons sent metal hurtling into their opponents. Wood cracked and splintered on the enemy ship, sending soldiers and flaming material soaring. Two of the enemies' ships found their way on both sides of Dins Wrath. While having an atrocious amount of heavy shot being sent into his ships hull, Heiden instructed his men, "Hit the deck!" Everyone took cover as fiery iron crippled the Man-Of-War's structure.

Due to the extreme force of the attack, the mast and sails had been left mangled and charred. Heiden realized without any sails, they were a floating target. However, instead of receiving the predicted final blow to sink them, grappling hooks ensnared themselves into the wood of the Heiden's ship. "What? Heiden pondered. After contemplating over the situation, Heiden concluded, "Looks like they weren't sent here to sink us," Heiden suggested to his son, "Be on the look out, I bet there's a pretty looking bounty on our heads."

Link nodded and shouted out to the crew, "Ready yourselves for battle boys! Don't let them secure the ship!" Unsheathing his sword, Link approached a Hyrulean grappling hook and cut the rope with a single solid strike. As an enemy soldier swung across to Din's Wrath, Link jumped up onto the ashy wooden rail and kicked the man in chest, forcing him down into the unforgiving waters. Due to the seemingly endless stream of soldiers attempting to board Heiden's ship, Link and his men quickly found that they couldn't defend the vessel from the invading soldiers any longer. Rapidly Hyrulean men poured their way onto the pirate's territory. Without hesitation Link cut down every enemy that approach him. Troop after troop fell at Link's daunting sword, but not all of Heiden's crew could protect themselves from the besiege of the largely numbered adversary. Even with Links aid, the pirate's numbers dwindled, till only Link, his father and a small number of their strongest allies remained. Link's entire being shook at the sight of his once living comrades slaughtered helplessly right in front of him. Feeling the effects of their decreasing numbers, Link focused on fighting his way back towards his father's side.

Beyond Links or his father's knowledge, a familiar foe made his way towards Heiden, wearing a menacing smile with a ruthless stare. After Heiden had finished off his recent feeble opponent when his eyes grazed over to a figure that fixedly watched him. A storm brewed inside of Heiden as he felt a deep hatred igniting his soul. Link saw his father's movements with puzzlement; his usually collected father wasn't acting in his composed nature. With haste, Heiden ferociously hacked down all who moved into his path. Every last one met the same fate as Heiden continued, trampling over their lifeless bodies. The densely garmented and armored man stood unfazed like stone and glared back at Heiden like he was prey. Urgently, Link sprinted towards Heiden, suddenly finding great concern for his father's safety. When Heiden finally came into reach of the man and he struck down his blade with monstrous muscle, meeting the man's sword with a resonating clang. The man only grinned as he pushed back his sword into Heiden's, watching as a man came behind the pirate Captain. That man then raised his weapon high above his head, preparing to release his gusty blow. As the enemy soldier brought his weapon down, Heiden turned his head and could only watch in shock as a hefty broadsword made its way towards him. Suddenly the sound of Links shouting came calling, "Father!" as he sprang behind Heiden, deflecting the blade and punching the soldier back, causing him to fall over a wooden chest and to split his head on the jagged ground. Link turned to face his father and to the strange intruder that appeared. Standing slightly above them on the staircase leading to the helm. The man was cladded in glossy silver armor that bulked over his wine red tunic. Placed on his pale face was a scruffy long brown beard that draped over his slender neck. Link inferred that he must have been of nobility due to his clean appearance and lavish fabrics.

A snicker escaped from the man as he spoke, "Seems the rumors are true about you Sergeant Nohansen. You truly do have a son!" the man brought down his blade in Heiden's direction, causing the pirate to fleet backward.

"How dare you show your face here? You're a dead man Lyron!" Howled Heiden as he directed his sword's point to the man identified Lyron. Hearing that name once again made Link remember the story his father told from the night before, erupting great disgust.

Lyron let out an arrogant laugh then spoke, "That's General Lyron to you scum!" Lyron harshly addressed his men near him, "Men kill the traitor! Nobility shall be given to the man who brings me his head!"

Instantly, their enemies began closing in on them, encircling Link and his father. Link guarded his father's back while Heiden did the same. Together they attacked as one, throwing themselves completely into every swing and block of their swords. However, they were vastly outmanned. While the two warriors fought on, they were eventually separated. Link having his back exposed was targeted by the nearest soldier. The enemy soldier took the opportunity and was ready for the kill as he prepared to strike. However, Heiden saw the soldier and instinctually through himself into Links direction, shielding him from the blow. In an instant, Heiden's body went limp and he fell down hard onto the cold wooden deck, his soul seemly to pour out. Links body betrayed him and he completely froze eyes wide as he gazed in surprise upon his only parent. The whole world seemed to slow down to Link.

"…Father…" spoke Link, barely managing a whisper. Due to being distracted by his father, Link failed to notice an approaching enemy soldier. The sting of a blunt edge of a blade rippled through Links right shoulder as he yelped and collapsed onto his side next to his father, hitting his head hard on the ground.

Before any of the soldiers could finish them off, Lyron's loud voice called "HALT!" from the staircase.

"Link," called out Heiden's quiet raspy voice, "Take the ship as its capitan and get the crew out of here as quickly as you can, there are your men now."

"Father no, don't talk like that—"

"Listen, I'm not going to make it Link. You must continue fighting the evil in this world—" Heiden coughed harshly, causing his breath to become more shallow and weak, "…for us, for me… you're my only hope…"

General Lyron clapped, as he exulted, "Well isn't this just precious," he said as he stepped over Heiden so that he was right above the crippled capitan. Lyron exclaimed, "the last loving words of a father to his beloved son. Unfortunately, the time for chatter is over!" As Lyron finished his sentence he savagely kicked Heiden in the side of his chest.

"You coward!" barked Link.

Looking over at the young pirate, Lyron moved from Heiden and shifted closer to Link and grabbed him by the neck, applying enough downwards pressure that it caused Link to choke.

He mocked, "You should learn to hold your tongue brat," threatened Lyron as he lifted Link slightly above the ground and lowered his stance, causing them to come face-to-face, "vermin like you belong at the end of a rope." Link met eyes with the general and he spat in his face. Using the moment of the general's vulnerability, Link swung his legs to trip Lyron, sending the Hyrulean general soaring to the floor. Frantically searching for a sword Link reached for the closest fallen weapon. Suddenly a piercing agony pulsed through his arm as he saw Generals Lyron's sword had been stabbed into his left hand. Letting out short cry Link stared at the Hyrulean general with anger.

"Think yourself clever now do you? Said Lyron as he stood up with his hand tightly gripping his weapon. He paused and spoke "Don't be daft," he then forced the blade completely through Links' hand into the wood below. Link let another wounded yelp and tried to push the sword out with his other hand to no avail. The general kneeled to Links level and muttered, "Know when you have lost child."

"Leave the boy alone Lyron!" Demanded Heiden with the most boisterous voice he could muster.

Lyron stood up tall and taunted, "Don't worry Heiden, your time will come," and then harshly commanded two lower ranking soldiers, "Take the child away to the break, I'll teach the pest some manners later." Following orders, the two brutes took hold onto each of Links arms of carried him to his feet.

In objection Link protested "No! Father!" and began thrashing against the guards restraining him, "Unhand me bastards!" A swift, firm hand of one of the soldiers came colliding into Links face, leaving the young pirate with a burning cheek and split lip.

"Shut it fiend," bellowed the gruff officer, "move it."

"Father!" pleaded Link as he was hauled away to the doors leading into the ship's interior. While Link struggled against his enemies grip, the Hyrulean general held his sword parallel to his body and looked down upon Heiden, he began, "Today I am going to put end to what should have ended years ago… Any last words?"

"You may have eyes in your head Lyron, but you are blinded by your own greed," Heiden paused to breath heavily and brokenly, "This was simply the beginning, the beginning of an era when the people finally rise against the tyranny and injustice of those who hold power," he coughed, "You claim victory but you cannot fathom what you have lost." A shrieking whisper of the breeze carried through the air while the general and pirate capitan locked eyes.

Lyron broke the silence with a chuckle and malicious grin, he exasperated, "Brave words from a man whose about to die." With their conversation meeting its end, Lyron gripped his blade with both hands and lifted his sword above his head. In one complete action, the Hyrulean cleanly pierced Heiden's torso. Faintly, the pirate capitan's breath was released from his lungs and Heiden's body began feeling icy and motionless. His heavy eyes closed.

"NO!" roared Links voice as it echoed over the waves. His body ached with distraught to run to his fathers' aid. He fought like a ferocious beast against the clutches of the soldiers. Links world seem to sit stand still as the image of his father's battered body lying frozen on the deck, soaking in his own blood was burned into his memory. He could barely feel the rough hands pulling him backward as his world crumbled right in front of him. Crashing into his skull came the metal hilt of a sword, causing Links body to go numb and his eyesight blurred in a hazy fog. Attempting to grasp his consciousness, Link battled his eyes to remain open. Nonetheless, the darkness blocked his vision and everything went blank. "No…" Link mumbled as he finally succumbed to the shadows.

Sounds of the waters colliding below between the ships rang in Links' ear as his vision began to clarify. He was inside of the large cell, holding him and the rest of the crew captive behind cold, rusty, metal bars.

Link heard a voice announce, "He's waking up," to the rest of the men. After regaining most of his senses Link attempted to move onto to his feet, only to realize his hands were bound by cuffs and chained above his head.

With a frustrated groan, Link let himself fall back against the wall.

He was silent at first, but eventually, he turned his head in the direction of his father's former first mate, Roderick, and meekly asked, "How many men did we lose?"

Roderick answered bleakly, "Too many." Link scoured the familiar faces of the crew; pick pointing which ones were missing. His breath caught itself in his throat and Link felt ill.

No one spoke for some time, but before the silence drove Link mad he thought out loud to the crew, "What happens now?" He said with a grim face and sad eyes.

Roderick's face contorted in disappointment as he faced Link, "Well, it's over," he answered bluntly, "When we arrive in Hyrule, we will be charged by the law without a hearing, and then be sent to the gallows. Simple as that."

No one spoke for a few minutes after that, however, Link then raised his head from his chest and proclaimed "No."

The pirates looked at each other in curiosity and pity while Roderick responded perplexed, "…What?"

"You heard me, I said no," Link glanced back at Roderick and the crew and insisted,

"This is not how our story ends, my father's last request was for me to get you all out of this alive, and I have no intentions of failing him again."

Roderick furrowed his brows and countered, "Look around you, how in the goddesses names are we getting out of here?" Roderick stared down into the wooden planks of the floor and faintly surmised, "Face reality Link, we're dead men."

Slowly the day drew on as Link tried to devise a plan of escape in his jumbled mind. Feeling confident he had devised the best proposal he could, he revealed his plan to everyone. However, only after persuading Roderick could Link prepare to initiate the idea.

An unaware guard on patrol made his way to the break's cell when Link jeered " Oi! You there, soldier!" The guard did not respond but he turned slightly around to look behind him and watched the young pirate in disinterest. Link pestered again, "How does it feel to be the captain's little lap dog?"

Instantly the man's eyes widened in shock has he sneered, "What did you say swine?"

"Wells you must be a pretty shoddy soldier if you are doing pointless errands for the general, like guarding chained pirates." Rattling the chains above him to emphasize his point, the crew scoffed at the soldier.

"Think yourself hot now do ya? I'd say you're looking for a beatin' pirate." Warned the soldier.

Link nagged at the man, "As if a coward like you could even throw a punch."

With a furious grunt, the man clasped the keys from his belt and began opening the door of the cage and raged, "Why don't we find that out shall we?" And with an aggressive swing, the door flung open and the guard came stomping toward Link. Giving a swift nod as a signal to an imprisoned crewmember, the guard was tripped by the pirate's legs and fell face forward Link. Without hesitating, Link gave a sharp kick to the man's head, knocking him unconscious. One of the other pirates stretched a foot over to the soldier's body and kicked the knife from his belt out of its holster in Links direction. Using his feet to slide the dagger closer to him, Link then flicked the blade onto the foot and then again onto his knee. Biting cautiously onto the blade, Link passed the knife handle to his hands then to his mouth. Once he had a grip on the blade, Link began using the point of the dagger to pick at the shackles. When Link managed to unlock the rusty cuffs, they clanked onto the wall with a bang. After grabbing the keys from the door of the cell, Link released the other pirates and boastfully chimed, "What'd I tell you?"

Roderick struggled to keep a straight face as a small grin formed on his face, "Don't get cocky, we aren't free yet."

Link gave an arrogant smile and nodded to the creaky hall, "Come on."

With the guard's worn out blade in Links possession, he guided the crew down the corridor. Spotting another enemy soldier standing near their exit, he beckoned the pirates to stop. Cautiously, Link treaded lightly behind the oblivious guard and stole his sword from the guard's belt, letting it gravitate down. Link hurriedly cupped his calloused hands around the man's mouth while using his other arm to place the soldier in a chokehold. Wriggling like a fish out of water in Link's hands, the guard kicked and pulled to no result. Eventually, the guard collapsed from the deprivation of air and Link placed him hidden behind a corner. Waving to his mates he motioned them to join him while he stole the unconscious guard's basic sword. Tentatively, they all stepped down the passageway.

"We need to get the armory or we might as well be target practice," whispered Roderick. Link nodded in agreement. Navigating softly down the halls, Link guided his men to the grand doors of the ships amble armory. Using the keys from the patrolling guard, Link opened the bulky lock placed on the hatch effortlessly and entered. Joined by the moans and groans of the ship's structure, the pirate crew collected a generous amount of their weaponry.

A shorter pirate named Dolton who was only a few years older than Link and who wore a heavy leather coat and pants with a bare chest fretted to Link, "Okay, what's the next part of the plan?"

Link scratched his head and gazed over to his side awkwardly while he admitted, "Well, I haven't exactly thought that far yet."

"Brillant," grumbled Roderick as he sighed and rubbed his face. Ignoring Roderick's apparent misgivings Link began conjuring another plan.

"It seems that nightfall is upon us, we should use the darkness to our advantage." Noted Link while crossing his arms and slightly swaying about. Link understood how their deteriorated numbers created clear disadvantages in this situation. It would be suicide to try to attempt to overwhelm all of Lyron's men in a single attack. A glint of faith washed over Link, fortunately for them, he had an idea.

During that night when the shadows concealed them, Link and his friends lurked within the enemies sleeping quarters, careful to not disturb their slumber. Holding cloths with a strange purple liquid poured onto them, the pirates crept to the soldier's hammocks where they laid dormant. Tentatively, Link tightly covered the closest guards' mouth and nose with one of the cloths. With a startled jolt, the guard's eyes snapped open as Link continued to press down with the fabric. Almost as quickly as the guard was awake, he was out. On the wooly material was a rare toxin from a plant species found in the Faron woods that causes temporary paralyze if inhaled. One by one the pirates used the poison to force the Hyrulean soldiers into a deep trance.

Meanwhile, the two members of the crew that Link set out went to immobilize the lookouts standing watch on the crow's nest. With extreme care, they made their way up to deck through the side windows, then up the shroud. Link chose the first man, Jax due to the fact he was his father's scout and we well acquainted with climbing the masts. The second man he chose was Dolton; a very quick and agile companion, perfect for evading anyone's attention. Jax reached the top of his the mast first. Peering like a hunter to his kill, Jax calculated his attacked precisely. Striking nimbly he went for the guard's neck. Unfortunately, the guard on the second post heard the disturbance, however, before he could act, the hilt of a sword stuck him down aggressively on his skull rendering him immobile. Watching the two pirates was Link under the hatch leading to upper deck. Jax raised his sword into the gleam of moonlight causing a faint but noticeable flickering shine as a signal for the rest of crew down below. Following through with the rest of the plan, Link gestured for the attention of the crew. With one hand pointing upwards, Link started a countdown on the other. Three. The crew's hands clench tightly around their weapons and their minds ran anxiously. Two. Everyone shifted and glared forward. One. The men stood in fighting position, ready to pounce. Link's hands traveled back to the hatch, pushing powerfully upwards and sending it back. Like a herd of wild beasts, the pirates swarmed from the opening and threw themselves into the now outnumbered Hyrulean soldiers. It was not before long till the sounds of clashing metal and piercing screams swarmed over the ships blistered deck. Through the corner of Link's eyes, he caught the sight of a young soldier hurtling towards him. Collecting his strength, the soldier charged at Link with his blade drawn to his side and preparing to swing at Link's center. However, with an easy wave of his sword, Link blocked the attack, spun and struck the man down with one precise thrust. Hearing the shouts of a man behind him, Link quickly lunged out of the way only to watch as the man run past him. When the clumsy soldier stood in bewilderment, Link saw the perfect opportunity to attack. Swiftly, he swept the man's feet from under him then landed a harsh stab to the man's torso.

As Link raised his face upwards he noticed a light coming from the captain's quarters. Briskly, Link rushed by the fighting men around him and made his way to the giant room he inferred held General Lyron and leaped up the stairway.

With a raucous bang of two large doors came the enraged voice of the Hyrulean general, "What in the world is going on here?" Suddenly a figure jumped down right in front of the general. It was Link, holding a sword to Lyron's throat and joined with a beastly glare.

The young pirate spoke, " Care to join us?" The eyes of the corrupt general widened as he whispered, "B-but how d-did you…?"

"You underestimated me, and now you'll pay the price," Link simply stated as he grabbed the general's shirt and dragged him forward still with the razor touch of the blade hovering on his skin. Pushing him forward to the front of the quarterdeck, Link commanded, "Order a surrender," when the general didn't comply Link put more pressure on the blade and barked "NOW!"

"Alright, alright!" Lyron cried out. The general then boasted out for all to hear, "Lay down your weapons men. It is time to surrender. That's an order!" Hesitantly, the Hyruleans let their swords and knives fall, observing them as they made clanking noises as the struck ground.

"Round up all the soldiers and make sure they are secured!" Link directed, and then he gazed back towards the general and spat, "and as for you Lyron, you're coming with me."

After every single Hyrulean man had been subdued and was properly guarded, Link had General Lyron's hands bound together, then he was lugged to the center of the deck. Link prowled so he was directly in front of the Hyrulean general and began, "Who sent you after my father?" Link sternly queried to Lyron.

"Don't tell me you're that incompetent? Isn't that obvious?" Lyron jeered.

"I want a name, who exactly ordered you?"

The general admitted in annoyance," His majesty's royal advisor and military general, Lord Fulton Damaris." Link made note to engrave the name into his memory. He then questioned with a resentful expression, "Why send a general from the mainland and not an admiral who would know the waters?"

"I wanted the satisfaction of killing him myself." Retorted Lyron with a vile grin. Unable to hold himself back Link pounced towards Lyron and lifted him by his shirt till his feet could no longer find ground.

With a strained voice the Hyrulean general taunted, "What are you doing to do? You and I both know you're too noble to harm a man who's unarmed."

"Try me." Link snarled as he pulled free his sword from his sheath.

Yet when he pointed his blade up towards the general, Lyron stared Link dead in the eyes and mused, "And do you think your late mother would approve of that?" Link's hold on the general faltered, causing him to drop him. He looked down at the general -who now laid on his side- stunned while moving back a step to regain his footing.

He stuttered, "You knew my mother…?"

The Hyrulean general's malicious laugh rang through Link ears, and he spoke giddily towards Link, "Oh how young and naïve you are child, seems there is much your father hadn't told you." He Link's mind began racing and he stammered and moved closer to the general, "What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid that's something you'll have to discover on your own," Lyron said with a smirk as he chimed while trying to lift himself up.

"You bastard! Tell me!" Yelled Link as he punched the general in the face, causing him to fall backward and to smack face into the wood. The general gleamed at Link's reaction and looked up at him while calling out, "There is nothing left to be said boy, so go ahead and finish me off! That is if you are not as pathetic as you look!" Clenching the sword in his hand with an iron grip Link hesitated on how to proceed. His conflicted face looked distantly to the side to search for an answer. He thought of his mother and father, what would they want him to do? The familiar face of his best friend Roderick came into view, which gave him an empathetic look. Then soon after, Link's face released its tension and his body slightly relaxed. He looked back at the revolting excuse for a general with a scowl and declared unwaveringly, "Unlike you, I will not succumb to madness, and unlike you, I will not kill for pleasure. However, you have caused so much pain and suffering for petty gain and power. For this, you can be not be forgiven. The punishment you deserve shall be delivered by the very same men you inflicted such pain upon." Link faced his crew who stood diligently behind him. Link treaded along the deck floor to Roderick and told, "His fate belongs to you now," Link paused and looked up at Roderick and the crew with trust, "All of you, do what you believe to be just." And as Link began to stride away, Roderick's low voice came booming from behind him, "What should we do with the other soldiers?" Link stopped and paused, and looked towards the remaining Hyrulean soldiers with mercy. They all had loved ones, families, waiting for them, and possibly young children who needed their fathers. These men were just following orders, and even though what they did was immoral, Link couldn't bare to think of how many widows and orphans he had already created that day. He then peered back at Roderick and directed, "I see no reason to spill the blood of any more men today, send them off in a rowboat. We are close enough to their shores, they can navigate for themselves."

Roderick leaned in closer to Link and whispered, "Are you sure it's wise to let them go? News of what happened here will surely meet the ears of the King of Hyrule…sir."

"Then let it, we are not to hide from the King. Let these men serve as messengers to tell the tales of our strength, but also our kindness. Not everyone in Hyrule is loyal to the King, and stories of retaliation may cause people to support a future rebellion." Link responded in hushed tone. Roderick simply nodded in understanding. Link once again turned his back to Roderick and made his way to his father's former quarters.

With resistance, the doors of the cabin screeched upon being opened by Link's hands. When he gazed into his father's study, he could barely recognize the room. Before he was ruins of his father's quarters, the once red velvet walls turned black with ash, the ground cracked, split and charred. All of the flags hung on the roof of the room had fallen and were ripped. A portrait of Link and his father laid on the floor, burnt and in shambles. Noticeably, even most of the windows were shattered from earlier cannon fire, letting the light of moon peer into the room. Link bitterly made his way to his father's desk with a lantern in his hand and searched for any papers not already scattered on the wooden paneling he stood on. Under a pile of disarranged letters, Link spotted a small painting encased in broken frame, the only family portrait the remained from a past raid on his former village. Brushing the broken glass and dust off the surface of the painting, he longingly looked at his parents and reminisced. A heavy weight fell upon Link and he could not keep his tears at bay and they skimmed down his dirty cheeks covered in dust and blood. The loneliness Link felt was only accompanied with the slight shushing of the sway of the waves. He felt surrounded by a familiar sadness of when his mother passed, but this time, Link didn't have the comforting words of his father to ease his sorrow. No, this time was far worse. Link was suffocated by the new burden placed on him and the heartache eating at his heart. He was alone.

When the pirates had finished dealing with the Hyrulean soldiers by sending them off in rowboats with just a few lanterns a single compass, they returned to their hidden port in the midst of night to recuperate and tend to the wounded. At first, Link protested being treated, he said that there were those in far worse condition than him and that he could be addressed at a later time. While this was true, Link also said that so that he could sulk on his own. With the loss of his father still fresh and taking its toll, Link wanted to have some time to reflect on the path before him. His father's body was found on the deck of the ship, already wrapped in white fabric and rope. The crew wanted a proper funeral for their fallen capitan so they could respect his honor and say their last goodbyes. Link walked to the top of a hill that faced the ocean, his favourite place to think, and that is exactly what he did.

Later on, just before morning approached, Link and the crew began preparing for Heiden's funeral. The deceased body of their former capitan was placed in small wooden craft that was tied to shore. As dawn neared and the sky brightened, the crew stood on the sand on the edge of the water in silence. The air was cool and the waves delicately rushed upon the sand. Distantly, seagulls squawked quietly in their search for their breakfast.

Some of the men stared at Link to begin the tribute but when no words came, Roderick decided he would speak first, "Heiden was more than just a capitan and a father, he was our guide. A light that we followed through times of peril, that taught us the power of hope. He was like a brother to me, and will never be forgotten." Roderick trudged forward to the small boat with Heiden's capitan's hat in hand. Solemnly, he placed the hat gently upon the Captain's chest, then turned back to the others and stood and joined them. As Roderick came in arms reach of Link, he placed a sympathetic hand on the young pirate's shoulder and gave him an apologetic expression. He spoke to Link, "It is only right that you do the honors of sending him to the next life. He'd want that." Link looked at Roderick with a heavy heart and nodded. He gave a very faint smile as he started his speech, "My father and I didn't always see eye to eye, but even so, he never gave up on me, no matter what hell I put him through," The crew only quietly laughed in agreeance, remembering the capitan's and son's comical quarrels that occurred over the years. Link continued, "Even in his final moments, he was still trying to protect me, and in the end, I was too weak to return the favor, to protect him," Link's fists were tightly clenched and he fought tears back, after he collected himself, he looked up into quickly fading stars overhead and said, " I am happy to know that he and my mother are finally reunited and can now rest his tired soul," He numbly glanced at the body wrapped snugly in layers of clothe on the boat, covered by the flag of the pirate's ship on the small vessel. "I vow that before I too reunite with my parents, I will finish my father's work and bring peace and justice back to Hyrule and Termina." Gingerly, Link took hold of an oil lantern that was handed to him by Roderick. Taking strong strides towards to the boat, Link then attentively placed the lantern onto the boat and watched as a comrade cut the rope swiftly and held the end in his hand. Roderick approached Link with a bow and a quiver, which Link accepted graciously. After putting on the brown leather quiver, Link nodded to the pirate to let go of the rope. A few of the crew members pushed the raft deeper into the shore and let it catch momentum so it was sailing steadily away from them. Drawing an arrow and setting aim Link called out, "May the Goddesses watch over you father, and may you find eternal peace." With nothing left to be said, the ceremony was reaching its end. Link held his aim firmly and let out his breath. Link then released the arrow from his grasp and allowed it soar proudly through the air. It stuck true, shattering the glass of the lantern and letting the oil contents spill out, causing the wood of the boat to quickly catch aflame. They all dismally watched the boat float away as it became completely engulfed in the fire. Soon the sun began to rise and the crew began leaving the shore. Link, however, stayed the longest. He stood there in the sand until the little boat was out of site, never to been seen again on the horizon. His father belonged to forever remain in the ocean, for it was his haven. Link would never forget this moment, the moment when he saw his father leave the world in the beauty of a blazing sunrise.

A forlorn atmosphere hung over the crew and followed them like shadows. Link suggested that the men should take the next days to properly recover from their wounds; they were mentally and physically exhausted and discouraged from the recent events. Many of the surviving crewmembers were gravely injured, just holding on to life by a thread. Giving his assistance to the very few medics they had, Link did everything in his capabilities to aid his crippled friends in their time of need. Eventually, the sun began to set, and everyone went to rest after a scattered meal the pirates conjured. Well, all except Link. Instead, the young pirate created a lonesome fire not too far from the water's edge to keep out the darkness. Seated on a moistened fallen log, Link was holding the portrait of his family in his rough, beaten hands, carefully inspecting the figures as if they would disappear if he looked away. No more tears could be shed, for Link began to feel emotionally immune, causing great emptiness within. Due do his fixation with the dainty painting, Link failed to hear footsteps that approached from behind him. When a hand placed a firm grip on the boy's shoulder, his rapid instincts kicked in, making him reach for his blade. However, Link stopped in his tracks. The familiar face of his companion Roderick became recognizable and Link relaxed.

Roderick's nonchalant voice released all the remaining tension Link was holding, "you're getting rusty in your old age Link, better shape up if you ever want to stand a chance against me." Chippered Roderick as he sat down near Link with a hefty sigh.

"Says you, you old geezer," Link said with a laugh behind his tone. The mature pirate went on a tangent and gleamed, "I knew when I didn't see you in the cabin you'd be outside somewhere, lurking around in the forest by yourself. It's dangerous don't you know? Anything can hide in the dark." Hearing a small cackle sound from Link carved a dorky smile onto Roderick's face.

Link retorted, "Nothing I can't handle." After rolling his eyes, Roderick noticed the miniature image of Links family held in Links possession.

He chuckled, "Where in the world did you find that relic?" he asked while lazily pointing to the painting.

Link replied with a half smile, "In my father's old study, I want to preserve it, keep it close."

"Now I hope you not going soft on me Link," Roderick teased while poking the fire with a slender stick he spotted in the mud. When no answer came from Link, Roderick changed his demeanor and tried again, "It's okay to miss them you know." He stated while glancing back at Link, a serious expression spread across his features.

Link hesitated before he acknowledged his time to speak, he then confessed,

"The day before his death, I should have never argued with my father. He was right; Hyrule is truly corrupt beyond recognition. I guess I am just some ignorant kid. Those bastards even went as far as to kill him. All I could do was watch like the weakling that I am." Links words were laced with rage and regret; he turned his face away from his friend. In hearing Links rant, Roderick shifted his weight towards Link and gave him a light nudge.

"C'mon now, don't beat yourself up Link, there wasn't much more you could do, we were greatly outnumbered. I'm grateful that any of us survived. And that Link, was your doing. Chin up!" Link shook his head humbly and returned Roderick with a nudge of his own.

With his charming smirk he remarked, "I didn't take all of them down by myself, if I remember correctly, you cut as many soldiers down as I did, maybe even more."

"You flatter me." Mocked Roderick with a noble's accent and posh hand gestures, as if he were a count. Link released a smile as he ran his hands through his messy, thick locks. When the smile disappeared again, he became stiff like before.

Link simply declared, "This battle for peace is mine now and it will be a long one. However, you have no obligation to serve me like you did my father. You and the men are free to choose your own paths now. I understand if my age possesses doubts of my capabilities as a capitan. However, I won't lie, I cannot do it alone." Roderick poked the fire once more, carelessly letting the stick catch fire.

Throwing the stick into the hungry flame, Roderick announced, "I believe you showed us your strength as a leader during the mutiny against General Lyron, and I expect you to only grow stronger in time. The men and I, we don't have lives to return to, but why would we leave? This crew we have, it's the closest thing we have to a family, and like a family; we stay to support each other. I know the men will follow you, they have Heiden's good name to uphold."

Link looked to Roderick, his soon to be future first mate as capitan. He grabbed onto his friend's arm genuinely and with gratitude he praised, "Thank you old friend, I would be honored by your company." He stood up, drew his blade, and struck the shifty soil below him aggressively, with pure determination he vowed, "I promise you this. Hyrule will pay for what it has done, and the evil in this world will suffer by my blade." Roderick just smiled at the boy and stood up next to him.

Placing his hands on his hips, Roderick exclaimed, "Oh, believe me, I bet they will in time, but for right now, I think we should get you patched up. Wadda say?"

Link rested his weight onto the sword and grumbled, "I guess so…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Patience

* * *

It had been four years since the passing of his father, and for Link, there was some wounds that time had failed to heal. In the span of those long, tiresome years, Link grew from a boy, into a man, and into his title of captain. He had substantially grown in height and in build which erased his boyish appearance from his features. Now at the age of nineteen, Link had acquired many new allies and crewmembers, and his numbers only continued to increase in size. Courageous stories reached the shores of Hyrule about Link's mission to bring peace to the land and soon rumours spread like wildfire. Whispers of the heroic battles of retaliation against the crown were told at many campfires and clandestinely in bars. People all over the vast land began adopting an alias for Link, "The Goddesses' Son." A nicknamed built from the old tales of his father's reputation; for when Captain Heiden was alive, many of the citizens of both Hyrule and Termina believed him to have been godly. Rightfully, Link was no exception.

When the king of Hyrule, King Cedrick, had heard word of Heiden's death four years in the past, he announced his victory to the entire Kingdom, sending town criers to all the provinces and towns, yelling out the king's message proudly for all his citizens to hear,

 _"Heiden Nohansen, the infamous felon of our country was successfully eliminated by the kings royal navy. It is a great victory for Hyrule to see the nefarious criminal put to death, for his tyranny is no more. A warning for all who stand in the way of Hyrule's prosperity,_ _any individual who is suspected of disloyalty to the crown will be thoroughly investigated._ _If proven guilty under the king's law, the individual_ _shall_ _be charged for treachery against Hyrule and immediately executed."_

The law proved to be unforgiving and laced with bias. Almost all who are seized by the king's men do not return, and many had been executed. They receive a necklace of rope and a sudden drop.

In the beginning, this frightened many of the people of Hyrule into complete submission, making it hard for Links crew to find any source of aid. However, the allied nations inside Hyrule's territories, such as the Goron's and Zora's, began to resent the cruel methods the monarchy used to oppress them, so in secret, these nations made alliances with Link and the rebels. Over the years, Link had managed to save the lives of many and protect them from the armies grasp. Therefore, he made an array of new friendships. Unfortunately for Link and his crew, their new popularity also aroused the eyes of the king to fall upon them. King Cedrick sent out battleships to destroy their hideout, causing their home to be destroyed and injuring many. However, because of his great effort to help those on and off the pirate's island, a significant number of people joined to create a different "colony" hidden from far from Hyrule. This settlement was named, "The Isle of Hylia," and many of the new inhabitants felt that the Goddess was watching over them as they strived to bring peace.

Being a part of an interconnected community revealed to be hugely beneficial for Link's cause. There were farmers, doctors, blacksmiths and streams of intel from Hyrule that the spies presented. The island was modestly populated but the residents on the isle were happy and respected one another. It truly was a haven. Soon people began to notice the influence of Link's band of rebels on all the parts of Hyrule and the positive effects of their work. Soon the Hyruleans no longer used the label of "pirates" to describe Link and his followers, but instead regarded them as righteous heroes. The group of rebel warriors became known as "Deities", meaning strong and mysterious beings. However, not everyone in Hyrule admired Link's work, and those who continued to support the Hyrulean Monarchy faithfully were known as Loyalists. These people would alarm guards, report traitors to the authorities, and raise weapons against Link and his followers directly. The Loyalists could cause the Deities a tremendous amount of trouble. Therefore, the rebels kept their operations intensely confidential.

On a humid and warm summers day, Link sat in one of the more quiet taverns located on the island. He was seated at a small, wooden table with a stream of light from a window shining onto the top of his head, causing his hair and skin to reflect the light in a golden haze. The rebel leader was fretting over maps and numbers. Link was trying to formulate a way to supply more housing and weaponry. Sadly, their current income and crop yield did not suffice their needs and he could not find a solution to gather more materials. So the young rebel had come to the tavern, hoping that perhaps a change of scenery away from his office would help bloom new ideas. To Link's dismay, no answers appeared. A few villagers came and exited the tavern while Link was there, and the young man began zoning out the sounds of life moving around him. Nevertheless, the loud stomping footsteps of Link's most cherished friend came slapping down on the cold cobblestone floor after a rowdy bang of the pub's doors slamming open. The unmistakable jolly face of his first mate Roderick came into view, and Link gave curious expression.

Link called out sarcastically to Roderick, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Roderick laughed and walked over with a flyer flapping in his hand.

Brutishly, Roderick hurled the piece of paper onto the wooden table with a whack of his hand and stated, "I think I may have found a solution to our problem of being shy a few extra Rupees." Link looked up at his friend with interest, and when Roderick lifted his hand from the piece of paper, Link glanced down and read some of the bolded writing of the page,

 _"…Princess Zelda's Birthday Celebration. "_

Staring back at Roderick with more puzzlement Link inquired, "A party? That's your big reveal?"

Roderick gave a confident grin as he encouraged urgently, "Some of the troops have returned with information from the mainland that I think you'd best hear. Let's head back to headquarters and they'll explain further in detail."

Link gave a hesitant look but finally agreed, "Fine, but don't be thinking you can order me around," he quipped. Roderick hit the young man jokingly on the back and gave a witty remark, "And don't let that head of yours get too big Mr. Hotshot or it might just fall off." Link and Roderick laughed light heartily as they made their way out of the bar and towards the main base.

The two rebels sauntered down through the quaint town, passing by a few of the village children, who waved their hands in greeting cheerfully. Link and Roderick smiled at the children's nonchalant nature. After being escorted to the island with their families, the children had new chances for a peaceful life, nowhere near the rising conflict in Hyrule. In his heart, Link wished he could bring everyone to the island, but his rational thoughts knew it would be next to impossible.

As the two men approached their base, Jax, acting as the lookout gave a reverent, "Greetings captain!" and gave the signal to open the gate. Wandering through the labyrinth stone courtyard, Link and Roderick marched down the echoing hallways, passing by men standing attentively on guard. Once they managed to meet up in the conference room, they spotted the two agents that were sent out on the intelligence-gathering mission, who were patiently awaiting the arrival of their superiors. Both of the spies stood at attention as they acknowledged Link and Roderick's presence.

Trudging along in front of Roderick, Link addressed the troops, " I hear you have some news for me?"

The older man of the two undercover patrols -who was named Sontrae- spoke up in assurance and nodded at Link "Yes sir, as Roderick probably has already told you, we have gathered word on a ball being held for King Cedrick's only daughter, Princess Zelda, at Hyrule Castle."Link shifted his weigh from one leg to the other, causing him to sway slightly.

He casually clarified, "Yes I was informed, but may I inquire why something of that nature is relevant to us?"

Respectfully, the younger female spy who was a student of Sontrae's named Taija, chipped in, slightly gesturing with her hand,

"We have noticed the increasing need for more financial support to help with the influx of recruits. Based on the information that we've gathered, we believe this ball would be an excellent opportunity to launch a raid on the castle's royal treasury." The young girl looked up at her mentor for support to continue, and then proceeded to explain, "Think about it, majority of the security at the castle would be concentrated at the party to protect and supervise all the noble guests and royalty. If we can avoid the guard's detection successfully, we could collect more gold than we ever imagined without even being seen." Link gave an accusing look to Roderick, knowing that he must have leaked some confidential information to the girl. Feeling partly unsure of the proposal, the captain was momentarily silent as thoughts swam through his head.

Link ambled his way over to a large, heavy wooden table that was centered in the middle of the room not too far away from the others and leant up against it.

He began speculating about the proposition, " I can see your point on the matter. However, this sort of attack on our enemy's stronghold comes with a variety of risks. Such a plan would require a significant amount of preparation, and we would need to exercise great caution." Link looked at all the individuals before him appearing exceedingly conflicted. To undergo such a bold strike against the royal family did not come without immense repercussions and the penalty, if they are caught, would cost them their lives. As appealing is it sounded to steal from the king right under his nose, Link did not want to endanger the lives of his men for no good cause.

Roderick then countered with a steady tone as his hand stroked his chin habitually,  
"That may be true, however; an occasion like this makes for a perfect opportunity, and in all honesty, we need this now more than ever. Without proper resources, we can never hope to bring down the Hyrulean or Terminian governments. As we stand now, we'll eventually be crushed by their forces."

Taiga also added, "Right now we are starting to have a real impact on the people. Let's remind them that we are capable and of our significance in the world. We can prove to them that we mean business."

Link shook his head lightly and fidgeted with the silver bracers on his wrists as he pointed out, "Perhaps, but it will also give King Cedrick a reason to search for us and send an attack. We need to consider the people who call this island home," Link tried to force away the image of an invasion. He could not bare the idea of the villagers facing slaughter due to his brashness. After recollecting his thoughts he mentioned, "It would create even stricter laws to hinder our operations. If we go through with this plan, we must understand it won't go unnoticed."

"The king be damned! We cannot just wait for him to invade us when he finally gets fed up by our little gang. Let's make the first move; we all understood the risks when we joined you," Roderick slightly paused, and when he began again, his voice was softened and dimmed, "No victory can come without sacrifice." he explained sincerely without taking his gaze off his captain.

Link rubbed his brow bone in frustration as he felt this discussion was like an endless circle. Adamantly, he reminded his comrades, "I understand that, but I do not want to act so impulsively that it causes this whole rebellion to collapse," Link said firmly. The others looked at each other with disappointment, for they knew they could not force their leader's decision on the matter. When Link sensed the dissatisfaction in the air between them, he gave a deep sigh and reluctantly complied, "however, I will talk to the other higher ups to discuss their opinions on a raid but I cannot guarantee anything."

The rebels all exchanged elated smiles, and they looked at Link with gratitude, giving each other giddy pats on the arms. Roderick went over to Link and swung an arm around the young man's shoulders and applauded, "There's the Link we know and love!" Link snickered at his friend's excitement and jibbed,

"Kiss-ass."

* * *

The remaining summer months passed quickly for Link and his team as they prepared for the heist on the King Cedrick's castle. Link forgot why he allowed his comrades to convince him to agree to such an idea, for he began to realize his misgivings of the mission. Because Link was captain, he had to carefully plan and hand pick each individual who would be best suited for each job. One wrong move and they may not return.

On a cloudy, murky afternoon, Link stared through a glass window that was beginning to collect dust with his arms crossed as he watched the waves dance onto the shore. He felt exhausted and it was starting to show physically. Many of the residents on the isle became concerned for the young rebel captain's well-being for he mainly confided to himself, shutting him self away in his study, alone with his thoughts. As much as Link did not want to worry the others, he found that he could not find much time in the day for simple small talk. He would train all day and organize strategies all night. When his friends tried to coax him to take a break, he only became rigid and uncooperative with them. They had never seen Link behave so sternly. To make matters worse, not long after Link and his "council" decided the go ahead with the break in on Hyrule Castle, one of his platoons was taken under seize after attempting to liberate a small farming village on the outskirts of Gerudo's Gorge. Mercilessly, the king's army abolished the rebel troops and no one from the original squadron returned. Immeasurable guilt and anger swept over Link as a plague of hatred swept into his heart. His resentment for Hyrule only grew further each passing day.

So there he stood, in his simply decorated study, isolated with only the company of an assortment of books, maps, and letters, all piled high on his desk.

With the solid sound of someone knocking on the door to his room, Link's train of thought broke.

The humble sound of Taiga's voice peeping through the door made Link turn away from the window, "Sir? May I interrupt for a moment?" Link softened his stance at hearing how nervous and bashful her tone was as it rang through the quiet room.

He responded warmly, "Certainly, I can spare a moment." Taiga emerged from the door, companioned with a short and much older women following closely behind. Link's curiosity peaked and he awaited what the two ladies required of him. Using her hands to smoothen out her shirt quickly, Taiga then straightened her posture and addressed Link as formally as she could muster, not knowing how to act around the captain, "We have come to present you with your…ball attire."

Link eyebrows furrowed as his face expressed confusion in her statement.

He asked perplexed, "…Ball attire?"

Beginning to feel embarrassment creeping up on her, Taiga unintentionally stammered on, "Y-yes, I asked Roderick to let you know we'd be stopping by; I guess he forgot…"

Showing an apologetic smile, the young male rebel reckoned, "It would appear so," then made his way over to the two women so he could gaze upon his dreaded party clothes. Hesitantly, Link lifted the small ornate box that Taiga was holding out of her hands and walked back to set it on the busy desk behind him. Slowly, he cracked opened the lid to reveal the contents inside. To Links pleasant surprise, the suit was not of a garish colour, but instead an elegant white and silver, plated with gold buttons down the front. When he raised the top portion out of the box and noticed it was a doublet that would end at the waist. The cloth seemed to shimmer in the light, making it appear to almost sparkle. Link saw that the vest was edged with wide silver lining and it came with a high neck.

"Try it on honey!" Came the voice of the sweet old lady behind Taiga named Lillian. She was one of the first people to take residence on the island and had always leant a helping hand whenever she could, "I hope it fits you well, I kept your style in mind while making it so it would suit you more."

Link looked at the women astonished and thanked her genuinely. Had she gone through all that trouble just to make the clothes for him? Link felt apologetic that she had gone through all that trouble just for him and felt obligated to try it on for her. Just this once. Link went into another room to try on the outfit, which he found was more difficult to put on then he had imagined. After slipping on the undershirt and the long-sleeved overcoat with the matching white pants, Link returned to the ladies feeling exceedingly out of character. Tiptoeing back into room he gave an apprehensive smile to the old woman, trying to be gracious of her hard work. "Oh, child how handsome you look!" Gleamed Lillian as she clasped her wrinkled hands together, making her way closer to Link, "It seems to fit you well, what a relief!" Link could not help giving a small chuckled at the elderly women's reaction. At least someone liked it on him.

Beginning to feel less awkward in Link's presence, Taiga spouted with enthusiasm, "Wow Link! I can barely recognize you in that!"

Link looked at Taiga with a smirk and teased, "I think that's the point." Taiga only rolled her eyes jokingly in response. He turned back to the old woman and placed a hand softly on her shrivelled shoulders, "It's wonderful Lillian, you have my sincerest thanks."

Suddenly, Taiga's eyes lit up as something occurred to her, "Oh! One more thing Link," Taiga proclaimed hastily. She opened the satchel that was placed snugly over her shoulder and pulled out a remarkably decorated mask. Link only stared at it in confusion as he gazed at it with interest. Noticing his expression, the female rebel stated, "It's going to a masquerade ball so you'll need to wear a mask." Luckily, the mask matched the outfit of disguise exceptionally well. Link was starting to feel like a circus act with all the frilly parts and pieces of his costume. After hearing the two ladies persistence to also try the mask on, Link gave in and tied the mask to his face. It was made of a snow-white lightweight ceramic with intricate designs of silver swirls and patterns, having gold pieces outlining the mask. The mask covered the full top half of his youthful face, leaving only his jawline and his mouth unconcealed. Looking up at his friends, he acknowledged their approving smiles. Link was content that the mask helped hide his identity more effectively.

Sassily, Taiga jested, "Now when the young women of the court ask you to dance, you may actually fool them to be _one of them_." Link looked back at his young comrade with concern. Without needing an explanation Taiga taunted, "Oh right! You don't know how to dance!" she said with a fit of laughter, "Don't look so frightened Link, we'll find you a dance teacher!" Allowing exhaustion to take hold of him, Link rubbed a hand down neck and found the nearest seat to fall into. Groaning like a child, Link prayed to Hylia that she was not serious.

* * *

Hidden away in her room, the young and stunning Princess Zelda sat at her desk writing a detailed letter to her personal guard and greatest ally, Impa. Currently, Impa was on a political mission dealing with the recent loss of her tribe's matriarch and was asked to return temporarily to give a proper tribute to their deceased leader while also helping to restore leadership within the Sheikah tribe. Zelda did not want to pry much when asking about Impa's trip, for she knew that the Sheikah clan were extremely secretive due do the fact that countless times throughout Hyrule's history, the society faced near extinction and now strictly only had contact with the royal family. The princess believed that if there were anything that was essential that she was to know, Impa would not hesitate to tell her. Remembering her last conversation with the Sheikah, she thought about how her friend unfortunately would not be able to attend the ball with her. Repeatedly, the Sheikah had apologized severely and anguished on how she would not leave Zelda's side if she had a choice, but it was crucial that she returned to her village only for a little while.

In the contents of the letter, Zelda spoke of how presently; she was faced with the chore of planning almost the entire masquerade ball alone that was being held in the close future for her birthday. It was a surprise to Zelda that she had not yet broken out into a temper tantrum when dealing with such trivial decisions such as, "Crimson or imperial blue curtains?" or even "Roses with peonies or lilies in the bouquets?" And by the goddesses, she not impressed. Yet, deep in her vexed mind, she understood that it was more productive to have a princess arrange a party instead of a king, who was already buried in work.

Growing up Zelda was not one to dawdle with dolls or to dress up in fancy dresses. Instead, she often spent her time being educated all about Hyrule and would highly enjoy the training she participated in with Impa. Their training would consist of learning swordsmanship, archery, and on an odd occasion, magic. Therefore, this ludicrous ball was no exception to the things that disinterested her. To Zelda, it was a waste of time and resources to throw a formal dance. She especially loathed the idea of having to wear a ridiculously constricting corset and having to mingle with snobbish nobles who would try to woo her into marriage. Turning the age of seventeen, Zelda was already at an appropriate age to marry in her father's eyes, and young men from far and wide came flocking into the kingdom trying to marry their way into the monarchy. The princess had turned all of the past suitors away who asked to court her formally, and she was not inclined to accept any future offers. However, her father, King Cedrick, did not agree with Zelda's antics and continuously urged his daughter to consider taking marriage into more consideration. That is why the ball was planned in the first place; it was a way for the king to introduce all the possible candidates of her future husband. Yet in all truth, Zelda knew that if she married, her husband would eventually take over the affairs of the country. It petrified her to think a feebleminded buffoon would have absolute power over her country. Sadly for the Princess, she was running out of time and ways to strategically avoid the topic. It was considerably difficult to disobey her father's wishes and she dreaded what may arise if her father were to unwillingly force her to be paired with a courter not of her choice.

Unfortunately for Zelda, the writing of her letter was cut short when a servant came to her quarters to tell her that she was required to be fitted for the ball gown her father had chosen. When the dress was put on her, Zelda felt it was a bit more extravagant and revealing than what she would have picked for herself, but she was satisfied that it was luckily not too gaudy. The dress was of a lilac colour, with a long skirt that flowed outwards and had extra fabric draped over like a sash. Observing the delicate beading of the dresses heart-shaped bodice, the princess noted the exquisite craftsmanship of the tiny jewels that detailed fragile swirls and snowflake-like patterns onto the top and bottom of the dress. Of course, the corset was indeed absurdly snug and it made Zelda feel light headed at first. There were poofy sleeve's that drooped on her arms that cut off before her elbows but exposed her shoulders and collarbones, neck while displaying more of her cleavage then Zelda wanted to acknowledge.

By the end of the day, Zelda was terribly fed up with the cake testing and dance lessons. Yearning for the day when things could return to normal, and she would be reunited with her beloved Sheikah guardian, the princess retired for the night, knowing that the ball would soon be upon them.

* * *

"Remember the plan?" Link whispered to Roderick near the opening of a forgotten secret passage way to the castle on the west side of Hyrule's castle town. It was the near end of summer and finally the day had come to ensue their plan. He was dressed and prepared for his mission, looking clean and groomed as any one of noble status would. Now at the starting point of their scheme, Link was feeling agitated. All their careful calculating would hopefully serve them well that night. Having former servants of the royal family within their ranks came with its benefits. The people who once served the king had no issue sharing all the information they knew due do extreme mistreatment by the royals and other nobles in the castle. To Link's horror, one of the former female servants who had once instructed Princess Zelda from a young age, insisted on teaching Link social dance so that he could be "fully prepared". The young captain was certain that she only wanted to watch him make a fool out of himself in front of some of the female villagers so they could have a good laugh. Thankfully for Link, he managed to master the dances within a few weeks, still it did not hid the fact his pride was heavily bruised.

Roderick nodded with conviction, trying to allow he's friend worries to ease.

He recounted, "We are to await your signal to approach, then quickly enter the castle using the nearest entry way that you also will indicate to us. With hast we will enter and exit the treasury while you cause a distraction. Later we will rendezvous at our secret dock and take you back with us to the island. Do not worry my friend, all will be fine."

"For our sake, I pray your right." Link remarked with a sigh.

"You're taking all the fun out of it! Relax Link, we'll be fine." Roderick surmised while pulling Link's mask down from where it was resting on his upper forehead to properly lowering it on his face in one swoop.

Adjusting the mask, Link said with a stern demeanour, "You must have an insane idea about " _fun_ " Roderick. This is serious."

A brief, soundless period arose between them as Roderick sensed the strict aura forming. He queried quietly to his captain, "…I understand that we've discussed this before but…do you really want to go in there alone? It's a large task for one person to face alone."

Link gave a reassuring expression to his friend and stated trustingly, "Fear not, I can handle it," Roderick was not completely satisfied by Link's answer so he preceded, "Besides, I need you to lead the others in and out of the treasury in my place. Your part is just as important as mine," He took a deep breath, looked straight at his friend, and plead, "Have faith."

Roderick knowing it was futile to argue muttered, "Alright, but watch your back okay?"

Link placed a strong hand onto Roderick's shoulder and spoke with confidence, "Don't I always?"

Feeling stuck in a crossroads, Roderick simply chuckled at the change in Link's spirit; the tables had appeared to turn.

Soon after, Roderick announced calmly, "It's time." and glanced at Link with hope. Nodding at his first mate, Link wished his friend a last "good luck" and watched him fade away into the shadowy distance. Facing back towards the dreary tunnel, Link began his slow journey into the castle.

Meanwhile, already inside the castle, Zelda was having the final touches of her evening wear being put together. Her silky brown hair was curled with half of it placed backwards in intricate braids, letting two small curls on either side gracefully fall down her face. She thanked her servants for putting in the detail of the dainty beads that were laced into her hair and the decoration of the large jewel that fell onto her forehead. Placing the crown onto Zelda's head, she observed how this particular headgear had a similar guise to the tiara the she wore on a daily basis. Yet this tiara had more height and had more jewels than she was used to. Oh how she missed simplicity. When all the make-up and dressing was complete, Zelda looked at herself in a long mirror and stared in shock at the remarkable work of her servants. She applauded their amazing skill and commented on how she was astonished by the intricacy of their work. The princess also admitted that she would have failed miserably if she had attempted to do it by herself without their help.

Not to long after, a knock was heard from her door, "Zelda my dear, are you decent?"

Recognizing her father's voice she spoke with volume as she proclaimed, "Yes father, please enter."

The king stepped into the room wearing an elegant black and gold jerkin that was heavily showered with noble designs and jewels. A cloud-white baggy dress shirt came through the vest as sleeves and he wore a bulky overcoat that held substantial weight. This was joined with black breeches and dark brown leather boots. King Cedrick was not a small man; he stood tall and had a muscular build. A large golden medallion hung across his shoulders on a silk ribbon. He had a thick, dark long beard followed from his side burns, down and around his chin and was matched with a black profuse moustache. The kings long, ebony straight hair curtained down his head and was mostly tied back for the event. He had luminous golden hazel eyes with wide eyebrows and a bulbous nose. His face had prominent cheek structure, which accented his beard.

When setting eyes upon his dazzling daughter, King Cedrick marvelled, " My darling daughter how absolutely stunning you shine! No doubt you must be of the goddesses creation and sent from the heavens," King Cedrick moved to his daughter and embraced her warmly, "Tonight you appear before me not as a child but as a young woman and the future queen." At hearing the king's dramatic complements Zelda chuckled out loud and gave a full smile while humbly insisting, "You flatter me father, for you look rather ravishing yourself." Zelda giggled and then asked, "Is there anything you require?"

Gesturing a servant forward King Cedrick reputed happily, "Indeed there is," The king turned to face the servant and grabbed hold of an object wrapped loosely with fabric, "I am here to present you with the mask for this evening. I had it specially made for you by the finest and most renounced artist's known in the kingdom, I hope it is to your liking." Zelda reached out her hands as she watched the king place the gift softly into her palms. With one graceful hand she removed the cloth and looked up at her father with bewilderment and gave candid thanks. The mask was astoundingly beautiful. Joyously viewing his daughter's reaction, King Cedrick offered to help put it on her. Accepting his suggestion, she waited patiently for the mask to be secured properly onto her head, then turned back to peek once more at the mirror for a final glance. The mask was a lovely delicate purple colour that matched her dress uncannily and she adored the silver velvet trimming encircling all the edges and around the eyes. Numerous tiny and large jewels were placed onto the mask accompanying gold beads. Ribbons on each side of the mask were shaped as golden flowers with pearls in the centre. Her father always was one to give her unnecessarily lavish presents; even so, this particular present was more than appreciated. The king placed one of his coarse hands fondly unto Zelda's right shoulder and mentioned warmly, "Shall we make way towards the ball? I suspect that our guests are anxiously anticipating your arrival. We best not keep them waiting." Zelda agreed and followed her father down into the hallway, beginning to feel butterflies all aflutter inside her stomach.

* * *

(Authors Note)

Before you start screaming at me, I AM SO VERY SORRY FOR HOW LONG THIS TOOK! I accidentally went overboard and this chapter was originally 30 pages long, so I decided split it into two chapters. Therefore, chapter 4 will be up in a few days after proper revision. Again I apologize!

(P.S) I noticed I had missed used the term "Hylian" in my first chapter (which is now fixed) and would like to mention that there is a difference between "Hyrulean" compared to "Hylian". I only mention this because it will be relevant later on.

Thanks you all the support I have received! You guys are very kind and inspiring! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Party Crashers

* * *

After successfully infiltrating the castle undetected, Link kept his presence unknown by concealing himself within the endless herd of people. A continuous stream of arriving guests quickly flooded the room, initiating conversations of pointless banter that made Link feel quite out of place. Everyone around him was of the highest social class and naturally; any member of a prestigious family would receive an invitation. Nonchalantly, the guests roamed about in their tailored suits and gowns, which would have cost more than a farmer's lifetime salary. They drank the poshest wine and laughed boisterously without a care in the world. A young noble maiden approached Link with a friendly smile and commented, "Do you find the talk of the aristocrats too tiresome to engage in sir?" she said with a smirk. The young maiden was wearing a red dress with layered orange fabric that was detailed with fancy patterns of embroidery. Beads encompassed the torso and down the skirt of the gown. Her warm, dark bronze skin highlighted her dresses' brightly pigmented colour and she had deep brown curly hair that was pulled behind her head. She appeared kind for some reason; perhaps it was because she had a pretty face. Trying to erase the surprised expression that was written on his face, Link answered formally, "Forgive my tardiness miss, I am simply awestruck. I have never witnessed an event to such magnitude." The young girl gave a light laugh and chimed, "I agree, the king as certainly outdone himself." The young girl slightly inched closer to Link and with a hushed voice she murmured, "The people here may appear stuffy, but there are those here who are worth the conversation," she glimpsed up into Link's eyes with a grin, "Anyhow, if you received an invitation from the royal family you must be in the king's good graces. We are equals."

"Indeed." Link agreed with his famous smile, knowing that she did not know of the irony in her words.

Before anything else could be said, the music ensemble switched into a loud and short fanfare while the court marshal made his way into the center of the staircase. The blast of the blaring brass instruments echoed throughout the room, causing all guests attention to travel to the announcer. Once the music halted and all the remaining conversations faded out, the court marshal bellowed for all to hear.

"Ladies and gentleman, I introduce to you his magnificent royal highness, King Cedrick, and his beloved daughter, the beautiful Princess Zelda." The fanfare started once again and not long after, Link began to see figures approaching the staircase. As the two monarchs ambled closer, the music's pulse stopped. Without warning, everyone in the ballroom tilted their heads and bowed or curtseyed. Urgently, Link followed suit. With the crowd remaining bent downwards, the king and princess strolled with poise as they continued towards their guests, who made way for them by creating a path were no one stood. Link did not dare to lift his head but tried to look up at the royal highnesses through the tops of his eyes.

Once they finally made their way to the thrones at the end of the room, the king sat down haughtily and addressed the people of his gathering, "Respectable friends and honorary guests, you have my deepest gratitude for joining me tonight in celebrating my daughter's coming of age. I implore you to indulge yourself with the food and drinks that you desire," he spread his arms out openly and called, "Let us begin! Sound the music and join in dance!" It appeared that the crowd was amused with the king's eagerness and soon the band played an upbeat tune.

A young gentleman that was dressed in a deep navy blue suit that was embellished with gold plates and chains made his way over to Zelda. He was tall, strong, and had fair skin. His feathery hair matched the colour of dry, soft sand and was tied back with a ribbon.

With a bent knee, he kissed the back of Zelda's left hand while stating charmingly, "Greetings your majesty. You look beautiful as always princess." Having a puzzled expression painted on her face, she glanced curiously at the young man, feeling like she recognized him.

Giving the man a surprised smile, Zelda addressed the man fondly, "Audrey? Is that you?"  
"The one and only, your highness." Audrey stood and joined the princess in a friendly embrace as Zelda rabbled on with questions for the young duke.

Soon however, the young nobleman bowed respectfully while offering his gloved hand to the princess and suggested, "Would you care to accompany me in a dance your grace?" With a small curtsy Zelda agreed sweetly as she offered her hand outwards, "It would be my pleasure."

Memories of Zelda's childhood raced in her mind as she remembered a much younger Audrey that she would chase around the rose garden when she was a very young girl. Audrey was one of the only people that Zelda had ever considered a friend as a child and she was devastated when the young duke moved outland with his parents while they were planning to expand their family business. Audrey belonged to The House of Nabooru, a house of nobility that had close ties with the royal family, and it showed in their wealth. Rich men usually came with poor attitudes and Zelda prayed her old friend still kept his gentle nature. It had been several years since Princess Zelda had seen Audrey and she was delighted in their reunion. Allowing Audrey to take the lead, Zelda skipped unto the ballroom dance floor with her hand lightly touching his. With a tender hand the duke's touch lingered around Zelda's slim waist then slowly traveled to her mid back. Naturally Zelda placed her left hand on the nobleman's shoulder and joined hands with her right. Instruments were strummed and plucked while the soft murmur of music hummed through the air. The young princess began twirling around in dance, laughing slightly at seeing her old friend again. The duke's eyes stared into hers with an unfamiliar intensity. Feeling awkward, Zelda resisted his gaze.

During the dance, Zelda's eyes wondered out into the crowd. Her eyes caught sight of someone watching her from a distance with sharp interest. For a split second, time seemed to slow as Link's and Zelda's eyes met. She could not make much of the details of his face due to him wearing a mask but his captivated gaze enthralled her. The light shade of his clothing stood out among the others, making him seem radiant and bright. Though, the one feature she could not ignore was his glistening sapphire eyes that dazzled like jems. Once again, Zelda was spun and she lost sight of the man cladded in white. When her view returned to the spot where the mystery man once stood, he seemed to have vanished. Link had already retreated back into the large group of people, trying to remain hidden. Feeling slightly abashed, Link did not understand what possessed him to stare, and at the princess no less. The young captain recognized Princess Zelda from the portrait of her that was on the flyer that Roderick had originally showed him. However, in Link's opinion, it did not do her justice. Her breathtaking beauty had not been depicted properly in the drawing. He reasoned it was only natural that such shimmering eyes would catch him off guard and thought perhaps it was her staggering beauty that bewitched him into looking for far too long. The rumors spoke true of her angelic appearance, yet Link reminded himself, even angels have dark sides.

In his impulsive race to move away from the dancers, Link accidentally rushed into a young noble couple. With a startled gasp the girl exclaimed, "Oh my! A thousand pardons sir!"

In a flustered manner Link faced the two young adults and apologized, "The fault is mine, excuse me." while quickly giving a small bow of the head. The rebel felt a strong need to get away from the partiers. Throughout the whole scene, Zelda was peeking at Link and tried to maintain constant view of the masked man.

When Audrey noticed Zelda's sudden inattentive behaviour, he looked at Zelda with concern and asked, "Is everything alright princess?" Zelda's thoughts snapped back quickly to Audrey, forcing her to lose sight of the man dressed in white. She laughed embarrassedly and insisted, "Oh yes. I apologize, it seems I was distracted for a moment. Think nothing of it."

Half-heartedly the princess listened to the duke's conversation as she tried to scout for the mysterious guest. But to no avail, he was already gone.

As dignified as Link could, he strutted towards one of the many balconies for some fresh air. Once he was outside he could hear the timid hum of crickets and a fountain running in the distance. Affirming that he was alone, he gave a miniature chuckle at himself. Link was awfully unused to aristocrat talk and protocol. The tight clothing that was wrapped around him felt unnatural compared to the free flowing fabric he usually wore. Attempting to gather his thoughts, he thought about how he could not lollygag any further.

Soon the piercing sound of a dinner bell came ringing into Links ears. Everyone except Link gradually made their way to the enormous dining tables placed on the other side of the grand ballroom. Knowing Link would not have a seat at the dinner table, he decided that it was time to initiate the plan. Casually, he merged with a group of people moving towards the meal, and walked with them to the other side of the room. To Link's luck, he noticed that one of the guards that was meant to be standing at one of the secured corridor's, was preoccupied with a flirty maiden who had drawn him away from the entry. The young rebel overheard the woman melodramatically insisting to the officer that he must be "the most fearsome solider in the entire army" as she held his gaze seductively. Using the opportunity, Link snuck past the preoccupied guard with ease and walked cautiously down the hallway. When approaching the next corner, Link peeked to make sure his path was completely vacant. After confirming no one was near him, Link took out a small piece of paper from inside his jacket that had a map written on it that was given to him by one of the former servants back on the island. Scanning its contents carefully, Link tried to find the shortest passage to the hidden treasury. Seconds after deciding on a course, Link heard voices following from behind him and he ran ahead trying to gain distance from whoever approached. As Link ran forward, he saw the light of a torch drawing nearer from the other direction and was quickly getting brighter. Feeling panic flow through him, Link scoured for an escape or hiding place. By the time the servant and the group of guards crossed paths, Link was long out of sight. The men exchanged simple calm greetings with each other; then both proceeded down their separate ways. Little did they know that Link was hiding behind a very long and opaque curtain that was hanging down from a lavishly gigantic window. Thanking the goddesses for his strike of luck, Link began journeying down the corridor once again. By the time the rebel captain got to the doors that hid the stacks of gold and jewels, he could hear the travelling sounds of boisterous chatter and the clanking of dishes coming from the ballroom. There was a bulky lock clinging to the treasury doors with a monstrous grip. Internally, Link commented on the vaults strangely low security for a room the contained such immense value. It comforted Link to remember that it was his father who taught him how to pick locks in the first place. Link knew he would have to act fast, for time was of the essence. The rhythmic tapping of footsteps hitting the tile floor came flooding into Link's ears. The young rebel suspected it was a patrol unit. Link needed to unlock the doors soon if he did not want to end up compromising the mission, or worse, facing death.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._ The sounds grew closer, closer and closer, causing a tiny bead of sweat to fall from Link's forehead. _Clink!_ The glorious sound of the lock opening made Link feel great contentment. Yet it was no time to celebrate. Expeditiously, Link pushed the door open, closed it faintly, and then sat with his breath held. He had kept the lock placed upright on one of the handles to make it appear untouched. Link could hear the chatter from the guards and prayed they would be careless to not notice the vault was unlocked. Again, the pounding of the steps got louder, louder, and louder. Link's heart felt as if it would burst from out of his chest and he waited furiously for them to pass. As the guards sauntered on by, the tempo of their walking gradually weakened into the distance. Allowing a gust of wind to leave his lungs, Link pushed himself up from the cold, stone floor and scoured the room with his eyes. For a moment, Link remained completely still. The young rebel was in shock at the sight of the gold and jewels sprawled around him. Carefully laid out in the treasury was an array of priceless artifacts and riches that shimmered in the moonlight. It was magnificent to say the least. Bringing himself back to the present, Link looked around the room for a possible way to signal the crew and glanced at a window slightly raised up on the wall. It had long, white aged curtains sloping down on its sides that fluttered lightly from the breeze. Thinking of an idea, the warrior pushed a tall antique wardrobe against the wall of then window then slid a dusty table next to it. The young rebel used the furniture like giant stairs and climbed his way to the top. When Link stood on top of the large wardrobe, he took out a sharp slender blade that he kept concealed in his coat, and began sawing away at the white musty curtains. Link always wanted to keep a weapon on his person, so before the ball, he decided to secure a small dagger hidden behind his back in its holster. Once the fabric was loose, Link then tied one end securely to the rusting metal bar above him then started to throw the end of the fabric out the window.

Meanwhile, concealed by a thick forest, Link's crew waited anxiously for any sign of their captain. The wind blowed sternly through the leaves of the trees and bushes that the crew used as cover, filling the silence between them.

As the sun almost fully disappeared from the fiery orange sky, Roderick inquired out loud to his Jax, who had his sights fixated inside a spyglass, "Any sign of the captain?"

"No," Returned Jax, his expression unchanged, "not yet."

Resting his back on a log, Roderick crossed his arms and looked up into the blazing skies above him.

He wondered to his comrades, "What is taking him so damn long?" Roderick's brows came closer together as his face contorted with worry. Again he told with agitation, "The kid better not have got himself into trouble." Not one of the rebels spoke after hearing Roderick's words. They remained still with only the sounds of rustling leaves and the constant breeze being audible.

"There! On the wall!" Exclaimed Jax with hushed eagerness. Instantly moving towards Jax, Roderick took hold of the spyglass and peeked through it. The rebel noticed a long white cloth waving in the wind from a high window and noticed his captain was at its top, fumbling with the sheet and checking its rigidity. As soon as Roderick saw Link he was gone and Roderick dropped the spyglass down to so he could look at his companions.

"Let's move!"

—

After finally subduing the last of the castle guards, Link met up with his comrades and gave them clear instructions. Link had marked the walls with symbols to guide his crew to the treasury that would allow them to travel unseen and quickly. The only problem for the young rebel was to make an effective enough distraction that would preoccupy the castle guards for long enough to grant his friends time to escape with the gold.

As Link approached the hallways near the party, he could hear the loud music floating through the corridors. When the disguised rebel finally reentered the ballroom, he was greeted by a sea of brightly coloured dresses twirling around in an arranged dance with the encouraging cheering of the spectators. He watched the nobleman and noblewomen dance without care and noticed the young princess was among them, swaying and skipping in the precise formation. Link began pondering on how all eyes were stuck on Princess Zelda and Link believed that he had found his opportunity to create a diversion. The most affective way for Link to create a disruption would be to strike at the center of the party, and he knew anything concerning the princess would have the complete attention of all the guests and the Hyrulean guards. It was a risky ordeal but Link felt confident in his abilities to perform such a task. Not to mention that time was not stopping to wait for Link to make up another plan. Unfortunately for the young captain, Princess Zelda was in the midst of a dancing circle and he could not just simply walk his way over to her without raising alarm. He resolved that he would have to join the dance if he wanted to get closer to the princess. Bittersweetly, Link was thankful he was taught how to dance back on Hylia's Isle, even though he never wanted to _actually_ use such a skill.

Whatever song was playing had ended, giving Link a prime opportunity to join the dance. As some of the dancers dispersed back into the endless cloud of people, the young captain spotted the young maiden he had spoken to earlier that evening and watched her curtsy towards her former partner, who was fleeting the dance floor. Swiftly, Link approached the girl and asked sweetly with a deep bow, "May I humbly ask you to join me for a dance milady?" while he gestured his hand forward. With a delighted giggle the girl accepted Link's offer and together they trotted forward with their hands slightly clasped. An upbeat melody erupted from the musicians that had a seductive beat and sophisticated tune. The brass boomed with gusto and the wind instruments sang with pious, engulfing all who heard the ballad into an intense trance. All the dancers moved as is if fairies to the melody. Link held the girl firmly in his hands as he guided her across the marble floor with her dress sweeping elegantly with every turn. She smiled giddily at him and followed his movements instinctually. Soon however, as a part of the dance, a partner change was due and Link mirrored the other dancers steps to meet a new partner. As this process continued, the young rebel caught eye of the princess while observing their distance. When Link had determined it was very likely he would dance with the royal, he mistakenly met the direct gaze of Zelda's. Only this time, neither Link nor Zelda looked away. As if in a fairytale, the two youths were fixated on the others glance and seemed oblivious to any other. In a sudden flash of brisk steps the two youths were finally united in dance. Their touch was foreign, yet not unwanted. With her heart aflutter, the gentle princess let herself become momentarily lost in the strangers eyes, for fear that if she looked away, he would disappear once again. Finding him remarkably handsome, Zelda let a small smile gleam from her face. It was as if he was carved out of stone and given hair woven of gold and eyes of sapphires. When Zelda looked upon his sun kissed skin and his strong toned structure, it made Zelda's face feel warm. She noticed his steady hand on her waist as it pushed and pulled her, not wanting it to let go.

The feeling was the same for the young rebel. No matter how Link attempted to be completely focused on his mission, he could not help that his mind wandered with thoughts of how striking princess Zelda truly was. Their closeness made Link fall into an unfamiliar stupor and he tried to ignore the fact the he was in a sudden embrace with such a mystifying creature. None of the girls Link had met in his lifetime could compare to the princess. She had a charm to her that was bewitching. Her pale skin glistened in the rays from the chandelier and her dark, silky locks floated around like ocean waves. The princess had plump lips that matched the shade of a red rose and had softly pinked cheeks.

The king had been keeping a keen eye on his daughter and as he watched her dance happily, he gestured to one of his advisors.

When the advisor was in range, King Cedrick mumbled to him, "Who is the young gentleman I see dancing with my daughter? Do you know which noble house he resides in?"

The king's advisor gave his king a regrettable expression and responded, "My apologies sire, I do not know." He then bowed his head to his master.

The King sat in his throne, perplexed, and said to himself amused, "Interesting." It had been an awfully long time since he had seen his daughter so carefree.

Sadly for the young dancers, the song was reaching its end, and their bliss tone would soon disappear. The beat aged and slowed, making the dancers follow suit. When the final note was strummed, Link and all the male dancers dipped their partners down closer to the floor. One hand was placed solidly on the maid's back, and the other behind their own. For the last time, Link was able to peer into the eyes of the princess. However, Link's attention was forcibly moved from the Princess Zelda to the unfortunate task at hand. His plan of distraction.

In one flawless movement, the young rebel clasped the handle of a long thin dagger that was hidden behind his back concealed in his jacket, lifted Zelda up, and placed the blade to the young royals neck. A high shriek sounded from the princess, making everyone turn to the two youths. With short gasps, screams and whispers, the ballroom went from a gleeful spirit to a very tense one in a matter of seconds.

"Nobody move!" Called out Link. Quietly, Link whispered into the princess's ear calmly, "Simply do as I say and I shall leave you unscathed."

Zelda clenched her teeth and with sourness in her tone she retorted, "I do not negotiate with criminals." Princess Zelda felt a twinge of betrayal and sadness being planted into her heart, she had been deceived.

Link gave a faint chuckle while standing behind the princess, still with his blade drawn at her neck. With a smirk he murmured softly, "You may want to reconsider, _your majesty."_

The very loud and enraged thundering of the king's voice rang in the banquet hall, "What is the meaning of this? Guards! Stop this madman at once!" Yet before any of the soldiers could move an inch, Link tightened his grip on Zelda and pushed the blade closer to the princess's exposed skin, causing her to let out another unintentional yelp that broke the chilling quietness of the ballroom.

"Do you worry not for the safety of your daughter King Cedrick?" Link warned with a stern expression as he faced the throne where the king stood.

"Who are you and what is it that you want with my daughter villain?" Demanded the king.

Ignoring King Cedrick's questions completely, Link ordered out, "Command all your guards to lay down their weapons and your archers to withdraw! Fail to do so and your daughter will pay the price." The King nodded to his soldiers and they hesitantly dropped their weapons, all the spears and swords clanked against the cold marble ground. Still keeping his eyes on his surroundings, Link faintly advised to Zelda, "I suggest you walk."

Nudging the princess forward with his strength, the two moved through the crowd easily, receiving terrified faces as they passed. Dejectedly, the young rebel saw the horrified glower of the noble girl he had conversed with as she stood at the front of the crowd. Link looked away with a blank expression, accepting the clear hatred from her. Link never turned his back to the guards or guest and used his hostage as a shield, which he felt cowardly for. When Link had at last reached the arched entryway, he saw a shadowy figure draped in the windowsill. It was Jax. Surprised, Link watched the quick draw of the bow and the sound of the string being released. The fine arrow shot through the air and severed the rope holding the chandelier to its chain. Instantly the light fixture came crashing down to the floor, miraculously, not falling on anyone as it hit the floor. Due to the chandelier having thin oil dowsed torches instead of dim candles, the ballroom floor was quickly ignited with flames, creating chaos in its wake.

Taking this time to escape, Link pulled Zelda faster down the hall towards the exit. As Zelda began to fear for her safety, she attempted to pull on the stranger's arm that was wrapped around her. The princess appalled the idea of being used as a hostage for a ransom or any other sick scheme the rebel had in mind. Zelda knew what she needed to do, but it was forbidden. She could use magic, the magic that was blessed to her by the goddess of Naryu, for she was the carrier of the Triforce of Wisdom. However, any form of magic was strictly illegal, but Zelda had no other option. She decided to concentrate on a spell she was taught secretly by Impa at a young age called "Din's Fire." The distant yet familiar feeling of the magic coursing through her was hot and energizing. When she sent the accumulating power inside of her free, it released a blazing inferno from all around her. A sudden agony shot through Link as he felt the scorching heat rippled through his entire body. The blast sent him flying backwards and smacking down on the marble behind him with a piercing _bang_. His masked had cracked on one side under the impact but thankfully, did not shatter completely. Limply, Link tried to pull himself upwards and he gaped at the royal with shock.

Link whispered, "How did you…" Without any warning, the voices of the guards shouting reverberated into the hall and soon, Link saw the soldiers making quick pace towards them. As quickly as he could Link got to his feet and made his way towards the large arched exit. Strangely, Link swore he heard the sounds of horses galloping hooves getting louder.

It was not Link's imagination. Roderick and Jax approached him on horseback and Roderick yelled out to his captain, "Get on the horse!" With no need to protest, Link slide down the railing of the castles stairs then hurriedly jumped on the back of Roderick's stolen stallion.

Roderick gave a loud "YA!" and both horses immediately darted away from the palace.

As the three fugitives rode away from Hyrule castle, Link called out to Jax, "What in the world were you doing in the ballroom Jax?" Jax glanced at Link with a bleak expression, when he looked away he answered simply, "Roderick ordered me to, we were worried." Link's attention darted straight to Roderick as he angrily scolded, "You did what?" Roderick did not bother to turn around to face his captain and had no remorse as he said, "Your in no place to complain, if it hadn't been for Jax and I, you would have surely been captured. I knew this was to much for you to handle alone," Roderick looked back at the captain with puzzlement and questioned, "What happened back there? Don't tell me the _princess_ managed to mangle you up."

Link shook his head and responded with confusion, "I'm not sure,"

"You're not sure?" Retorted Roderick with annoyance.

"…I don't know exactly, but…I think Princess Zelda used magic."

Still looking at Link, Roderick exclaimed startled, "What? Are you serious?" He shook his head and let out sigh out of frustration. Roderick faced forward and spoke, "I guess there is no point worrying about it now," the rebel steered his horse to follow a turn then spoke again while ducking under a low tree branch, "The others have successfully escaped with the treasure and are already heading to the rendezvous location—" Suddenly the trio heard the calls and horse's running coming from behind them in the distance.

"Look's like we have company." Jax informed. Link hypothesized that the Hyrulean's were following their tracks. If he and the others continued to ride directly back to the ship, they would be leading the guards straight to the crew. It was true that the night hid them well, but if the guards had torches, they could still follow.

Link made a split second decision and yelled out, "Jax, switch horses with me!"

Jax gave the captain a bewildered expression and asked, "What, why?"

"I can lead the soldiers following us on a false trail to keep you and the others from being found," The lights behind them got brighter as the flicker reflected off the soil and tree leaves, "but we need to do it now!" The rebel hesitated in following his leader's orders, but eventually pulled hard on the horse's reigns, bringing the steed to a swift stop.

"Are you two daft?" Fumed Roderick, as he too brought his horse to a halt. He looked gravely at Link, who was getting off of the horse's back. Roderick badgered, "We won't be able to come to your rescue this time Link, you shouldn't go."

As Link and Jax swapped rides he affirmed, "I won't need rescuing," he got into the saddle of Jax's former steed and chimed, "Plus, they only got a good look at me, not you. I'm easy bait for them to follow—" The yells of the guards began much more audible and Link said with urgency, "Now's not the time to argue! I will come find you when the time is right," he added in quickly, "have faith." and with those final words, he flicked the reigns and was off speeding down the trail. Roderick opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.

Jax muttered from behind him, "Come on, its time to go. He'll be alright."

Roderick sighed once again and whispered, "I pray that you're right." Promptly Roderick directed the horse into the shadowy, clustered woods to hide them. Soon, a whole platoon of Hyrulean guards zoomed past them as they followed down the rocky trail. Roderick felt extreme worry brush over him as he whispered, "For the worlds sake, I pray you're right."

Link rode with a fast tempo as he sensed the soldiers gaining on him and when they were finally in sight, Link signaled the horse to go faster. The chase continued for some time but before long, a single arrow shot past Links face, clipping his mask and causing it to whisk off his face. Immediately, Link ducked down from the sudden jolt and felt the wetness from his cut ear, blood dripped down his face. Link decided his best chance would be to make his path unpredictable and constantly changing. His pursuers followed his every move and continued to fire arrows in his direction. Another arrow wisped by and Link felt a hot sting climb up his arm as the arrow graze his right bicep, cutting the shirt and drawing a red liquid. Choosing to ignore his wound for now, Link rode on.

Link noticed that the trail ahead had a large gap between two cliffs. It appeared that the bridge that had once been there must have snapped and fell down into the trench below. Knowing he could not turn back, Link decided to take his chances. He prayed to the goddesses under his breath and made his horse gallop faster down the trail. Everything moved slowly as Link felt the horses legs leave the solid ground as it leaped towards the other side. Link's breath left him as he spotted the unfriendly waters under him that clawed and smashed into the tall cliff side. When the horse finally made contact with the ground, Link was thrown upwards. Grateful that he had been holding on strongly to the horse's neck, he was prevented from flying backwards out of the saddle. For a moment, the horse struggled to find firm ground as the cliff's edge broke under the heavy steed's weight. Fortunately, the horse continued finally forward. The young rebel stopped and looked back at the Hyrulean soldiers behind him. They had stopped at the edge of the other cliff. The rebel noticed General Pipit Devegvar was at the lead of the pact; he stared back at him, as if challenging him to of the younger Hyrulean soldiers approached the general apprehensively and croaked, "Should we follow him sir?"

The general just stared back at Link with contempt and spoke without leaving his gaze, "No, it was a miracle that he survived such a stunt. I will not have you men die senselessly." When General Devegvar ordered his men to retreat, Link watched them with interest. He continued to make eye contact with the Hyrulean General until he had turned away with his men. When they were completely out of sight, Link turned back to path in front of him and rode at slow trot. He wondered with smirk how in the world he was going to find a way back to his men.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Strange Beginnings

"What do you mean there is no sign of him?" The king shouted furiously at his Commanding General while slamming a fist into his desk. The startled General Fulton Damaris flinched at his king's response and nervously stuttered, "My sincerest apologies your grace, we are doing all that we can—"

King Cedrick interrupted hotly as he stood up rapidly out from his bulky chair, "Well it is not good enough. I cannot have some maniac running around terrorizing my kingdom!"

"I understand sire, if only we could just have more time." Begged the general.

" _More time_? Are you serious?" stated the king with growing intensity, "May I remind you that this _boy_ is the same person who stole my _entire_ arsenal of priceless family artifacts, attacked my _only_ daughter, and made a laughing stock out of the royal family? And you want _more time_?"

King Cedrick took a breath after his explosion and rested his arms on the top of the carved desk. General Darmaris simply stood facing his king; quiet as a statue. Even though the general was a close ally to the monarchy, he did not want to risk his head by tempting the king's temper further. The king was portrayed to be a kind, merciful leader, but for those who served him directly knew it was merely a facade. King Cedrick allowed his pride to manifest into an uncontrollable obsession and was determined to find the criminal by spreading the military across the country. All soldiers were on high alert, and many had spent an abundant of blistering days searching for the mysterious perpetrator. Link had caused quite the scene at Hyrule Castle, which caused numerous rumours to flock into castle town and all over Hyrule.

A knock came from the door of the Kings office as a short servant emerged and stood at attention.

He informed the king politely, "Lieutenant General Pipit Devegar has requested a presence with you, your majesty. Shall I let him in?"

The tired eyes of King Cedrick trailed to General Darmaris curiously as he directed the servant to let the young man enter. When Pipit came into the room, General Darmaris gave him a warning look, trying to advise the younger soldier of the king's cross behaviour.

"Greetings Lieutenant General Devegar, I pray you have good news for me." The king said as he turned to the spirited general hopefully.

"I have news sire; however, I am not certain you will be pleased." Answered Pipit. The king looked up at General Devegar through the tops of his eyes then pushed away from the desk. He gave a loud sigh and sat down at his desk, preparing for the worst.

"I will have to hear the report one way or another, proceed."

Slightly hesitating as he looked to his older officer, Pipit began telling the information, "After further inspection of the escape route of the fugitive, we have concluded two trails, a decoy that the squadron and I followed -that was lead by the perpetrator- and another, lead by his accomplices," Pipit approached the map on the King's desk and pointed, "Both groups took cover in the Northern region of Faron Woods and both trails trace back to the same location, a hidden dock at the edge of the waters just outside of the forest. Unfortunately, your highness, the trail ends there and they most likely travelled by sea. There is no way of knowing where they went from that point."

The king sat back in his chair with a hand to his forehead and yelled, "Inexcusable! They could not have completely disappeared into thin air!" Both soldiers remained silent as the king recovered his withering patience. Once the king forcefully calmed his tone, he solicited, "Is there anything else you wish to share with me General Devegar?"

"Indeed your grace, I am positive we know the identity of the intruder," Pipit swallowed with dread as he could foresee the king's reaction, "The intruder was Link Nohansen, the son of the late pirate captain Heiden Nohansen."

"That bastard is the one who violated my daughter and disgraced me? I cannot fathom such an insult! Have the goddesses have forsaken me?" The king rampaged. He looked to Pipit with a steeply serious gaze and asked, "Have you seen his face General Devegar? Did you see him up close?"

Pipit winced and admitted, "Yes, vaguely your excellency."

The king said coldly to the young soldier, "Well with _whatever_ you can remember, we will have wanted posters made and posted to help the search. I shall add a reward as an incentive, and I want you at the lead of this manhunt General."

Carefully Pipit approached the king and placed a ceramic mask on his table. "This, your grace, is the mask that the rebel was wearing the night of the attack."

The king stared down at the ornament in disgust as he picked up the trinket with an enraged grasp. While glaring at the mask, the king watched as it was crushed within the palm of his hand and he threw the broken pieces to the ground furiously. The king looked back to the generals before him, his voice calm yet threatening, "You _will_ find him, and when you _do_ , that rat will pay for all that he has done. Mark my words." The king placed his elbows on his wooden desk and clasped his hand's under his chin. He addressed the generals, "I expect to hear developments on this case soon. Do not fail me." The king gestured to the door, "Please leave me now."

Without hesitation, General Darmaris and Pipit bowed courteously to their king and made way towards the exit. On the way out of the hall to the king's study, Pipit ran into the princess, who was heading to see her father. When the fuming General Darmaris was at a good distance in front of him, Pipit tugged on Zelda's arm gently.

He said, "I fear now is a bad time to speak with your father Zelda, he is very vexed at the moment."

Zelda glanced to General Devegar with confusion as she inquired, "What has upset him so deeply?"

Pipit stumbled for a moment, "It is not important your highness…" Zelda raised an eyebrow in doubt and gave him a stern expression. Without her saying anything, Pipit knew she was not buying his lie. He whispered in a hushed tone to not let any prying ears hear him, " We were discussing the events that happened on your birthday. The king is not happy with our lack of information on the subject."

"Is that so…? Well, he cannot remain angry forever. It was my father who requested my presence with him anyway. I fear his patience only grows thinner, so if you will excuse me." With that Zelda began her descent once again.

That same day, Link was standing restlessly by the shoreline of Hylia's Isle, watching the endless navy waves rise on the sand. Many weeks after the scandalous heist on Hyrule castle, Link began feeling trapped while he was forced to remain under the radar of the Hyrulean military. Link's predictions of the country increasing its security was correct; guards constantly patrolled the streets of towns and rode into villages. The rebel leader felt guilty for creating more trouble for the civilians of Hyrule. As time had gone on, Link had met more of the country's inhabitants and saw for himself that the people of the country were not corrupted at heart, it was their king who was crooked. The Hyruleans were oppressed by the kingdom's authorities, and Link fought to release them. On his travels, Link would hear stories from town's elders of the glorious days when the former Queen Zelda ruled over Hyrule, and the queendom prospered. The young rebel wondered where things became so twisted.

The funds the rebellion gained from the stolen goods proved to be useful. Hylia's Isle flourished with the increased crop rates and the influx of weaponry. New ships were built, and an abundance of new homes were constructed. The island soon looked like a small country of its own. Link spent many of his day's listening to, "I told you so," and "No need to thank me," from Roderick, who was beyond giddy that his idea had such a positive outcome. After weeks of being cooped up on the island, Link decided he would travel out to the main land to "study the surroundings." He noticed some holes in their knowledge concerning Hyrule. Such as Hyrule's battle history tactics, army bases, and information on the general landscape. Link thought that if he was to fight the enemy on their ground, it was important to know the battlefield; it was better than fighting them blind. Therefore, the young rebel decided that a trip to Hyrule's Castle Town would provide Link and his allies with the wisdom he desired. Even with the protests of Link's spies, who believed they were more than capable of gathering the intel, Link still insisted on going himself. The young rebel would spring on any opportunity to do something useful. The island could not satisfy his hunger for a sense of adventure.

That is why Link then found himself disguised as a traveller while he sailed on a schooner heading towards Hyrule. It would have been a death-sentence to voyage on Din's Wrath as it would have been recognized instantly. So instead, Link, with a small crew consisting of Jax, Sontrae and a few other rebels, sailed on the small ship secretly to avoid detection. Roderick, naturally, was left in charge while Link was absent and asked to stay behind.

Link had missed the familiar scent of the salt waters that stung in his nose and missed watching the dark blue waters skim by below them as the boat soared over the waves. Small islands could barely be seen in the distance and birds flew high above them in the clear sky as the schooner made its way over the ocean. They travelled before sunrise, and luckily they arrived at their destination without any hassle from other ships or military vessels. Link asked his friends to avoid the major docks just as a precaution; Roderick would never let it go if Link was discovered. Sontrae directed the crew into the waters of a humble rural town just outside of the city where Link could easily travel by horse the rest of the way. As Link expected, the town was quaint and quiet. It was secluded within a vast forest that resided on the outskirts of Eldin. The forest was different than Faron woods, it was much larger, and it almost appeared like a maze to Link. All the huge, luscious trees resembled each other and paths seemed to cross. The young rebel leader was more than grateful he had a guide to lead him through the earthy labyrinth. Legends described an ancient village hidden within the woods where forest children lived; these children never aged and were accompanied by fairies. Other tales warned of the children who lost their way in the woods and became "Skull Kids". These cursed children would guide lost travellers deeper into the maze where they could never escape. But those were just children stories.

Sontrae had visited the village on more than one occasion while on his missions and told Link not to worry; they would be greeted with open arms. Apparently, the village secretly supported the rebels and would often provide them with a haven during their travels. When Link strolled into the small town, he noticed all the villagers were working about and completing daily chores. A few gave them curious glances, but the villagers seemed to be at ease, Link guessed they must have recognized Sontrae. A child even skipped over in their direction to greet them. It was a young boy with scruffy chocolate coloured hair and he wore lightly dirty clothes. With his big brown eyes he gleamed towards the rebel and yelled, "Hey Sontrae! You came to visit us!" The young lad looked around at the men searching for someone, "Why isn't Taiga with you?" he asked worryingly.

Sontrae gave a sigh and answered the child, "Sorry Rocco, your sister's on her own mission so she couldn't come with us. I'll tell her that you said hi for you." Having disappointment written on his face, the boy scuffed his shoes into the dirt and looked down.

As he glumly raised his head, he stared straight up at Link who was saddled in the horse next to the spy and with mild suspicion he questioned, "Who's your friend?" Before Sontrae had the chance to respond, Link cleared his throat loudly and gave Sontrae a cautious wince, trying to hint to him that he'd rather keep his identity concealed, at least for now.

Sontrae caught on to his leader's indication and responded simply, "Oh, just another rebel." With that said Sontrae flicked the reigns of his horse and signalled the others to start moving again. Sontrae interjected, "We'll have to catch up a little later kid, see you around!"

One by one the horses made their way towards the mayor's house, and when they arrived, Sontrae was greeted with the welcoming face of the town's mayor. The rebel requested if they could speak more privately inside the mayors home, he wished their meeting to be kept confidential. Once they were safely inside, Sontrae introduced Link to Mayor Radomir, The man's face was draped with shock and stared at Link as if he was a fairytale. Link feared his hand would fall off after the mayor shook it so vigorously. All the questions the mayor asked seemed to never end as Link and his companions were served a bountiful amount food. The mayor even invited in giving Link a horse as a gift, wishing that she would be useful to the rebel leader. At first, Link attempted to refuse the offer kindly, but Radomir would not take no for an answer. So in the end, Link was forced into humbly accepting the gesture. The horse was quite muscular in build, and she stood proudly with her pale sleek mane lightly swaying in the warm breeze over her light brown coat. Strangely, the horse appeared to have a friendly nature even with her intimating size. Link did not hesitate to name her. _Epona_ , the name just popped into his head and the rebel like the way it sounded. He was surprised, Link was not familiar with the name or where it came from, it just felt fitting for her.

Soon Link set out on his short journey to the city after promising Sontrae to be gone only for three days and to return no later. Only a few hours had passed when Link spotted the castle while on horseback. It looked different from the night of the robbery in the daylight, as did the town below it. From Links view, he could see how truly tall the castle was. It was constructed with light stone and had many protruding towers with pointed tops. It was quite the spectacle; it stood proudly over Castle Town with its gigantic size. Heading into the territory of his enemies did create some tension for Link, but the feeling of being free from the constricting base back home made the rebellious man overjoyed. He raced towards the capital with the sweet air of the field overtaking his senses. Epona did not need any persuasion to run as fast as her legs could take her, she seemed to enjoy trotting through the open grassland just as much as Link did.

Sadly their new found joy was quickly extinguished. While riding into castle town calmly, Link took in the foreign sights surrounding him with confusion. From the stories the elders had told him about castle town, the city was supposed to be beaming with a variety of shops and stands where people would by an assortment of goods. People would be running up and down the streets in a hustle among the endless hum of chatter that sounded from the streets. Even musicians would play their songs to hopefully earn a few extra rupees. However, that was not the same city that laid before Link. All around him people wore bleak expressions and trudged along dejectedly as they stuck to the shadows of the streets. It was hard for Link to believe this was the same place that he had heard such grand stories about, it was morbidly disheartening for the young rebel. Some of castle town's residents took to the streets like alley cats and begged for money to whoever would listen to their pleas.

A little girl had approached Link while he rode on his steed; she was awfully thin and small. She had mangled, dirty hair and the rags she wore struggled to stay on her frail body.

She had tugged gently on Link's cloak and whispered timidly, "Do you have any food, sir?"

Link looked down at the young child with sympathy; she looked as if she expected to be harshly scolded by him. Instead, Link lightly got down from his horse and opened a pouch that was secured to the saddle, then pulled out a bag containing food that the villagers had provided him with as a favour.

He knelt down to the girl's height and proclaimed, "I believe I have some that I can share with you." He handed the little one the bag and she accepted it with a bright smile full of surprise. She gave a quick and content "thank you" while looking back at the other children behind her. Link noticed this and saw the two children behind the little girl who were huddled together against a brick wall, and he asked warmly, "Are they your brother and sister?"

The frail girl just simply nodded and blurted "Goodbye Mr!" and she ran back towards her siblings excitedly. The little girl showed her younger sister and brother the gift and the thin brother gave a quick wave to Link. Worried their new treasure would be stolen, they raced away out of sight before Link could say or do anything else. They had disappeared from Link's sight and he could only pray that they would be alright.

Fuming with anger, Zelda rushed into her room, slamming her door shut behind her and plunged herself onto her bed in exasperation. She let out an irritated sigh and raised a hand to her face to wipe the single tear that had fallen down her cheeks. Zelda hated to cry and bite back the tears on the verge from pouring out of her watery eyes. A small yet audible knock fluttered to Zelda's ears, and she glared at the door with bitterness, not wanting to speak to whoever resided behind it.

Forcing herself to answer, the princess rasped, "Please leave me be. I do not want to be disturbed right now."

"Even me your highness?" The concerned voice of Impa came through a gap of the door and the princess's bodyguard peeped her head through.

Zelda's expression instantly softened as she acknowledged her friend's presence and muttered, "I'm sorry Impa, please come in." Impa promptly entered Zelda's room and made her way towards the young princess, her arms already open to comfort her.

She prompted, "Good gracious Zelda, what in Naryu's name happened?" Impa came and sat next to the princess on her silk bed and wrapped a caring arm around her. The young royal gazed up to her loyal friend and meekly breathed in.

Zelda replied in frustration, "My father, that is what happened. I was summoned to speak with him and as you can predict it did not go well." The Sheikah stared attentively at Zelda to urge her to continue while she waited worryingly. Zelda began explaining the whole story about how her father had informed her he intended to have her to marry the first prince of Terminia, Prince Wilfred, in the upcoming months. She tried to persuade her father against it, but he would not listen long enough to be reasoned with. The princess knew the prince well, over the course of her childhood she watched him grow up alongside her. Even so, they were nothing alike. The prince lacked a single kind bone in his body and reeked with arrogance and greed. Just his presence made Zelda's skin crawl and participating in conversation with him boiled her blood. He had no respect for others and was incredibly unfit to be her husband or future king. The reason Zelda's father, King Cedrick, even considered him a suitor was that marriage between the two kingdoms heirs could mend the ties between Termina and Hyrule and to give both royal families more power, wealth and land. Zelda deeply loathed the idea. Hyrule was strong enough without the influence of the Terminian monarchy, and the princess believed that such a deal would prove to be unequal. It would be Prince Wilfred who would rule both kingdoms, and he would rule them into ashes. So when the young princess spoke up, opposing her father, it did not bode well. It did not take long for their conversation to become unpleasant and venomous as both would not bend to the other's will. Princess Zelda knew she had angered her father when she mentioned how she deemed Hyrule's citizens were not being cared for and said their needs were being ignored. King Cedrick became livid and called Zelda _"a foolish child_ ", and he ordered her to stay her tongue. Zelda was at her breaking point and stormed out of his office even with her father cursing her to come back. Zelda wished that her father would stop being so blind to reality. The princess saw her people becoming more sickly and demoralised by the king's harsh rule, and she wanted nothing more than to restore the kingdoms well-being. The king would only call her "soft" and "too naive to rule the kingdom", but Zelda was not convinced his tactics provided good results. His poor leadership had lead to the formation of a rebellion, which only brought more fear and chaos in its wake. The people are afraid of the king and his men and that has made the people resentful.

The princess and the Sheikah sat in silence for a brief time after Zelda recounted her meeting with her father. Impa understood the difficulties of Zelda's situation and detested her marrying the pathetic prince. However, as a member of the Sheikah tribe, she swore complete and utter loyalty to the crown of Hyrule, and could not act against the king's wishes. All she could do was comfort the young princess, which proved to be impossible. When Impa tried to give Zelda her words of reassurance and hope, Zelda did not believe in them. The older woman began to realise nothing she said could help her beloved princess and Zelda's cold demeanour hinted that she wanted to be alone. Therefore, Impa wished Zelda a goodnight and told her to call on her if she needed anything. In response, Zelda only gave a half-hearted smile and a nod.

When the Sheikah had left Zelda alone in her elegant room, the princess glanced over to a window from her bed and noticed the sun was finally setting over the horizon and was igniting into an exquisite coral colour that shone into the castle. Nonchalantly, she ambled to her window and gazed down at the weary city below her. Many of the citizens were already inside their homes, ready to finish the day by returning back to their families. In a way, Zelda found herself envying them. She was truly grateful to be raised in the household that she was and never took for granted the security and comfort she had by living in the castle as its heir, but the young princess longed to feel that she had control over her future. Zelda yearned to be more than just arm candy on some nobleman's arm; she hungered to make a difference to the impoverished state of the kingdom. Yet, it seemed she would achieve none of those things now. Sadly for her, it appeared her gender made her destined to be only the devoted wife of a king and was expected to birth the futures heirs and embroider her life away as she watched from the sidelines. She never understood why a male heir was the exclusive person to inherit the throne; ancient Hyrule never stood by such standards. Before, the person with the blood of the royal family was to succeed the throne. Apparently, the new council had deemed a female was "too delicate" for such responsibilities. How preposterous! Zelda knew they only created such a law so that the current government would stay in power. If the princess became queen, the counsel would be discarded for a new one, and she knew the councilmen were all lustful for power and used her father to get it.

Feeling the urge to be rid of the cold walls of the castle, Zelda searched for a possible descape. An idea struck into Zelda's head, the tunnels; she had once read in an old text that there were tunnels built during the castle's construction in case of an emergency or invasion and she could. Zelda questioned if they even existed. The young princess tried to erase such a plot from her thoughts, knowing fully how risky and foolish the idea was. She craved to be independent and away from the restricting rules of the castle. Just imagining being left alone in her stuffy room all night was unbearable. Perhaps she was thinking irrationally out of anger. Some fresh air may do her some good.

Making her mind up, she shuffled to the oversized wardrobe inside her room and began rummaging through the variety of gowns and dresses to find a disguise. It occurred to her that she did not have many if any, casual clothes. She picked the most mundane outfit she could and removed all her jewellery and gloves. When she looked in the mirror, she noticed her hair and tiara was obviously a dead giveaway. Therefore, she undid the two braids that hung on both sides of her face and pulled her hair back into a ponytail then removed her golden headpiece. Of course, her face would be recognised if she was not cautious and decided it would be best to wear a long cloak that could cover lots of her facial features. Feeling her work was satisfactory, she sauntered to a book shelf and scanned the books carefully. When she spotted the book she desired that had no name nor title, she flipped through the book's contents and noticed a page with a map of the castle. She turned the next few pages of the musty old book to find drawings of the hidden passage ways secretly constructed into the castle's interior. Zelda had spent time as a child studying the ancient text of Hyrule's earliest inhabitants and found it strangely comprehensive, even when no one else understood them. The faded words on the page described, _"in the sanctuary of future's guide lies a secret within its heart,"_ When Zelda first recited the words read from the text, it perplexed her; it was some sort of riddle. She read the words over and over in her head and quietly out-loud trying to solve its meaning. Then suddenly it clicked for Zelda. The " _sanctuary of future's guide"_ was the royal heirs living quarters, and the _"secret within its heart"_ must be describing the centre of the room. Putting her speculation to the test, Zelda moved the thick, colourful carpet that was placed on the floor in the middle of her room and pulled away the fabric to reveal a large stone with a noticeably thicker gap between the others. Using all her strength to slid the stone up from its holster and push it aside, the princess looked down the gloomy and dark staircase before her and began feeling seconds thoughts about her absurd plan. What if the guards or civilians was recognised her? What if someone kidnapped her for ransom? What if she was stabbed at the end of the tunnel and never seen again? The princess tried to hush her fears and not to let them control her. Fear was only an illusion, and it could only control her if Zelda allowed it to. So with a spurt of courage, Zelda made her way down the staircase with a candle in her hand to light her path hearing the echoing of her steps as her feet touched the old musty steps of the stone stairs. There was dust and moss growing on the walls and stairs, and Zelda inferred that this tunnel must have been left unused for centuries. The air was frigid and the sounds of water droplets splashing into puddles reverberated in the tunnel. When Zelda reached the bottom of the stairs, she continued down the passage and was frightened by a high-pitch squeak of a rat that scattered its way in front of Zelda's feet. The princess let out a quick, startled shriek and had to catch her breath from the surprise. Zelda almost laughed at herself for being so easily alarmed and continued her slow journey in the secret passage. Soon the young royal could see the end of the tunnel but was taken back when she saw that at the end of the underpass was another wall that blocked off the outside. She came near the formidable wall wondering why there was not mention of it in the book and brought her hand up to touch it. However, when she came into contact with the cold stone, the symbol of the Triforce of Wisdom that was imprinted on the back of her hand began glowing brightly, which had never happened before. The wall lit up in intricate patterns the with the image of the Triforce surrounding Zelda's hand. Hearing a rumbling sound come from the door, Zelda pulled her hand away and watched as the wall began opening its mouth, creating a gap. The princess was astonished and wondered if this was an example of the ancient magic she had once read about in her studies. Rays of the sunset came radiating through the new opening, and the light glittered on Zelda's fair skin. She welcomed the light's warm embrace as she roamed the concealed grounds of Hyrule Castle. Breathing in the moist air that held a fresh scent, Zelda looked at the damp grass and stalky trees that surrounded her. It appeared that Zelda had wandered into a secluded cemetery, filled with ancient tomb stones and statues of royal figures and fallen soldiers. The princess was not shocked that such a place was unknown to the public, by keeping it untouched, the grounds could be preserved for many more centuries. She sauntered through the domain in awe as she gazed at the statues, reading the names and inscriptions on the stones. A vast and tall monument that had knight statues sculpted into the gray stone had an epitaph written, _"To our fallen brothers, all hero's of Hyrule, who's bravery shall never be forgotten. May you rest in peace, knowing that the land of is safe once again."_ Zelda wondered what had happened to the soldiers described on the grave and why they were fighting, perhaps it was set back to the time of the Great Civil War of Hyrule, but it would be hard to tell since Hyrule had participated in many wars in its history. Princess Zelda ventured her way through the graveyard and luckily saw a ladder hanging on the walls. Knowing she needed an exit, Zelda decided to take the chance, praying the steel bars were stable enough to hold her weight. She climbed the rusty steps and hopped down on the other side. At last, she was free.

Disappointed with his findings, Link left the isolated library he was in Castle Town, feeling less optimistic than when he entered. He had spent the entire afternoon reading through stacks of dusty books, trying to find relevant information, but to no avail. The books were only filled with trivial information, and Link suspected knowledge was being withheld from Hyrule's citizens. As he read through the books, he noticed pieces would be missing, and stories of the past were left unfinished. He was bewildered as to why; what were they hiding?

As Link began to make his way back to the tavern he was staying at while in Hyrule, he heard an unsettling sound. Men were shouting, and the young rebel heard a faint cry that he had guessed belonged to a woman by it's higher pitch. Link was about to continue on his path forward, but he quickly decided against leaving; he saw no harm in investigating the source of the voices. The rebel travelled down the streets of the city blindly, trying to follow the echoes of the conversation and found the unfamiliar streets ailed him. So he took to the rooftops, treading lightly and carefully, concentrating on not being seen nor heard. Finally, Link saw figures appear in an alley way below him, a girl was running from three male pursuers, and she had unluckily run into a dead end.

Unknowingly to Link, the young girl who was sprinting from the predators was none other than Princess Zelda. She had stumbled into the thugs that now chased her as she tried to make her way back to Hyrule Castle. The princess did not mean to stay out so late, but she lost track of time and strayed too far from the castle. When Zelda tried to ignore their whistling and taunting they only continued to follow her, and when one of the men grabbed her wrist, she harshly withdrew her hand and dashed wildly away from them. Sadly for the princess, she could not seem to escape them and was trapped by walls of bricks. Princess Zelda felt a cold sweat of dread drape over her as she observed her situation. She was alone against three brutish muscular men who showed no signs of leaving her alone.

The tallest of the men called out to Zelda, "Don't worry miss, we're not gonna hurt cha, we just wanna have a little fun is all."

With a repulsed expression Zelda retorted sharply, "Well I want no part in your games, just leave me be." The man laughed with his accomplices and gave a smile laced with ego towards the princess.

He enticed haughtily, "Oh come now love; there's no need to be like that."

Gradually the men crept closer to Zelda, making her back up towards the wall behind her instinctively. The young princess thought about the dagger attached to her belt but knew she would be quickly overpowered. She debated her options; she could try to use her magic. However, she hesitated; Zelda did not want rumours that illegal sorcery was being performed in Hyrule, it would cause mayhem. The people intensely feared magic, they knew of the legends of the past when magic fell into the hands of the wicked and countlessly lead to great suffering in Hyrule. This same fear lead to magic users being chased out of the country, and if news was to arise of magic returning to the kingdom, neighbours would turn on each other and everyone would live in unease. Yet, Zelda was not prepared to gamble her life in the hands of the ruffians before her. She stared the men down, trying to cover her anxiety. The men were scarred and dirty, and they wore clothing that was slightly torn. They simply gave Princess Zelda sadistic grins, expecting an easy victory.

Making up her mind Zelda began casting a spell under her breath and collected her magical energy into her hand. Then something unexpected happened. A dark, cloaked figure fell from above like a ghost, shadowed in the night's overcast. They had landed right in front of Zelda which startled her, causing the princess to gasp quietly in shock. The mesmerising blue magic orbiting Zelda's hand dispelled as she lost concentration, curious about the stranger who appeared in front her from thin air with their back towards her.

Suddenly the mysterious person spoke with pride, "How shameful; you gentlemen certainly don't know how to treat a lady." The veiled stranger was male, and his voice flickered something in Zelda's memory. It was strange; she swore she had heard the man's confident tone somewhere before but could not seem to conclude who it belonged to.

His identity hidden by his disguise, Link had decided to spring into action after watching the poor girl being tormented by the heinous stalkers. So, the young rebel had jumped down from his hiding place to help her; he could not stand to watch their despicable behaviour any longer.

The malicious criminal stared back at the man with smug eyes and jeered, "Oh yeah? And who the hell are you?'

A short laugh was heard from Link as he the provoked the convicts without missing a beat, "The person who is going to teach you some manners."

"Piss off!" Yelled the felon as he drew a short, dull sword from its sheath that hugged his hip. He darted crazily towards Zelda's protector with speed: however, as the thug's sword came swinging down over Link's head, the blade missed and hit the worn ground with a heavy _clank._ Being able to predict the man's attack, Link had managed to dodge the blow completely. The hooded rebel brought his blade out from his cloak and swung the sword's handle hard into the man's skull. As the man yelped and fell to his knees, Link gave a solid swift kick to the man's jaw, sending him backwards unconscious. The bandit fell on his back with his weapon flying out of his hand and sliding down the alley.

Link glared hotly at the other men and challenged them, "Who's next?"

One of the two remaining thugs ran towards Link with weighted steps that thundered as he bolted, letting out a low battle cry. With a leap, the man sprung down like an arrow and sent his sword cutting through the air as he aimed towards Link. Just in time, Link's body avoided the blade's reach, however; Link felt the sword tug on the strap of his satchel he had perched on his shoulder and the bag dropped to the concrete, scattering a few of books contained within it. Still completely focused Link brought his sword to deflect the criminal's next attack, feeling his footing slip for a moment due to the man's brutish strength. After regaining his balance, Link found a weakness in the man's defence and pushed the man away by shoving his foot into the crook's lower abdomen. The attacker fell into a wall behind him, and Link took the opportunity to bring to his sword up against the man's neck.

Giving the felon a threatening gaze, Link kept the sharp cold steel against the man's skin and snarled, "I suggest you and your friend leave here and make sure I never see your face again." When the man gave Link a noncompliant glower, the young rebel towered over the thug and pushed down harder down on his blade; he advised tiredly, "Unless you want to see what happens when I apply just apply just…a little…more pressure…"

Fearing for his life, the man choked out, "Alright, alright! We'll go!"

Link slowly removed his weapon from the pursuer's exposed neck, giving him a distrustful scowl and watched as he cautiously made his way from the wall and out of the ally. The princess and rebel observed as the fleeting men ran to the streets in silence, then Link turned to face Zelda.

His tan skin was shadowed in the moonlight, and his dirty blond hair swayed gently like grass in the wind. Out of all Link features, Zelda was most struck by his eye's. His bright crystal eyes bore into her's as she felt another strange sensation. They were familiar to her. However, his face was too shadowed for the princess to have any chance of recognizing her rescuer. As she stared straight into his eye's she found herself momentarily tongue tide.

Noticing Zelda's shy behaviour, Link asked concerned tone, "Are you alright miss?" Link tried to look at her face but could not see much of the girl's facial expression with her hood blocking his view.

Snapping out of her shocked trance, Zelda looked up at the stranger slightly embarrassed while stating, "Yes I'm fine." The princess watched as Link then went to pick up his bag of books the remained splattered on the ground and was curious why he had them, he didn't appear to be the type to be a bookworm. Moving slowly closer to her rescuer to try to get a better look at him, Zelda continued, "You didn't need to intervention, I could have handled them on my own." Link scoffed out loud in surprise and rolled his eyes jokingly.

With a sly grin painted on his lips as he finished collecting his books from the dirty ground the young rebel commented, "Could have fooled me,"

Without warning, the shouting of guards' that were headed towards the dark passage came ringing into Link and Zelda's ears, and by the sounds of it, they were approaching fast.

Link called out in a hushed voice to Zelda, "We need to leave! Now!"

The young rebel failed to ask the princess's permission as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him as he began fleeing from the scene. Zelda was not expecting the stranger to grab her and she almost instantly ripped her hand away, but she didn't. Instead, she chose to trust the man, as unsettling as that felt. Once they were clearly out of the guards' range Link allowed them to stop, both gathering their breath.

Looking at the ripped arm strap to his satchel Link commented lightheartedly, "You're welcome by the way." Bringing up a finger to correct him, Zelda almost gave the man a lecture on how she did not want nor need his help but knew she would be lying. So, she lowered her hand defeatedly and thanked him.

Looking at all the books stacked inside his bag Zelda inquired skeptically, "You're a scholar?" Not expecting such a question from the girl Link hesitated for a moment, then concluded he needed a false identity anyway, so he played along and said yes. While inching closer, the disguised princess gave Link a suspicious glance and proceeded to interrogate, "Really? I don't think I've ever seen a scholar fight like _that_ before."

The young rebel smirked toward the princess and bragged, "I must be one of a kind."

Without thinking carefully about her her words, Zelda announced, "It appears now I am in your in your debt…" The cloaked rebel smiled genuinely and reassured the girl, "Don't worry, I don't expect any payment," Link looked at the girl in front of her, feeling he knew her from somewhere.

Her eyes peeked out from the cloak's shelter and bore an oddly recognisable essence. They were bottomless pools of blue and as soft as lake water. This girl had a fiery spirit that reminded him of someone. However, Link chose to ignore his feelings, knowing he did not know anyone in Hyrule.

Feeling there was nothing left to say Link tilted head slightly to the girl and complacently replied, "Farewell." And with that said, Link began trudging down the dark streets nonchalantly, followed by his cloak which was flapping behind him like wings. The strange man had turned the corner at the end of the block quickly and was quickly out of Zelda's view.  
Knowing she was not done with their conversation Zelda hesitantly chased after the mysterious stranger and called, "Wait!" She turned the corner very fast and frighteningly almost ran head on into Link as he turned around to face her.

"Yes?" he asked curiously. That was the first time the princess had gotten a good look at Link's face. His face held a serious expression, but Zelda could tell that under his tough surface, he was kind. Once again Zelda felt stunned by his presence with his attractive physique. The sudden wave made Zelda forget why she exactly she had stopped him for and urgently searched for an excuse. When she remembered the odd tattered books he carried, an idea sprouted.

"Please, allow me to return the favour. You are a scholar, correct? Maybe I can help you with your research." Zelda stuttered quickly, grasping for a motive.  
At first, Link was going to reject the girl's proposition but remembered the struggles he had in the library early that day; perhaps it would be useful to ask for the information he sought directly. With his new plan formed Link questioned Zelda, "Oh really? You wouldn't happen to have a vast array of knowledge on Hyrule's history and geography would you?"

Zelda gave Link a perplexed expression as she answered dumbfounded, " Yes, as do most people—"

Cutting her off, Link beamed enthusiastically, "Excellent! Then I accept your offer. When can we meet?" Zelda had wished the man would just slow down for one moment as she tried to process things.

Reluctantly Zelda offered, "Tomorrow after sunset, at the fountain in castle town square."

"After sunset? Isn't that more dangerous—" Zelda gave Link a face that warned him not to ask questions, so he altered to saying, "Alright, would you like me to walk you to your street? I wouldn't want you running into any more lowlifes tonight."

Urgently Zelda's light up with fear as she protested, "No! I mean, no, my home is not far from here. I'm fine to walk there on my own."

Giving her an unsure expression Link remarked with uncertainty, "Only if you're sure…" the young rebel looked back at the girl and acknowledged she was not going to change her mind and he could not force her to. So Link brought a hand to his chest a bowed slightly while he uttered, "I bid you adieu miss, goodnight." When he turned around, he muttered quietly, hoping she would not hear him, "Be safe." and started his journey back to the tavern. Zelda simply just watched as the stranger walked away like a mysterious phantom. Annoyingly, Zelda remembered that she didn't even know her rescuer's name and she felt foolish for agreeing to meet with a man she failed to learn the name of. When he had finally vanished from her sight, she scampered back towards the castle, knowing she was long overdue. Nervously, she prayed to the goddess Hylia that Impa had not noticed she had left.

* * *

This is a repost of this chapter do to a very big mistake that I know many people probably noticed (oops). I'm really sorry about that as it would appear I forgot to edit the first section of this chapter. It should be all fixed now (hopefully) and again sorry for the error on my part!

Thank you all for your patience with me :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Honest Deceit

* * *

The young rebel leader sat waiting in the center of Castle Town feeling uneasy about being so out in the open. The sun was almost completely out of sight on the horizon and the city was swarmed with the colours of dusk overhead. Link was not sure what in goddess's name had possessed him to think that his meeting with the strange girl was a good idea and prayed she would not discover his true identity. Of course, he knew that an obvious answer was to not meet the girl -whom he did not know the name of- but he could not bring himself to leave her stranded in the middle of city square with night approaching. So there he sat, waiting with the gentle ripple of water from the enormous fountain behind him as the wind blew like ice shards on his cheeks and danced through his hair. He heard light footsteps treading quietly near him and he turned to face their owner. The girl stood their staring at him with the sunset's rays glowing on her, radiating on the fair skin of her face and her glittering eyes. Standing up at attention, Link forgot how to speak for a moment, as he was feeling agape. He swore he knew this girl from somewhere. Her presence teased at his memory.

Slowly the girl approached him, covered by her dark cloak from the previous night. Zelda strutted confidently towards Link but her voice revealed her nervousness, "Um, hello again."

With an empathetic smile Link answered with his polite charm and bowed his torso in her direction, "Good evening miss, I pray you made it home safely after we last departed?"

The stranger's ability to beguile Zelda never faltered as the princess let out a quick giggle from his playful formal tone. Deciding to continue the joke Zelda responded wittily, "Yes quite, thank you. It would seem that I rudely forgot to ask for your name last time we met." Oddly her rescuer's behavior turned tense for a moment as he straightened his back upright. His smile dimmed and his once open stance became rigid, which perplexed Zelda.

Only for a moment did Zelda see Link appear off guard before he recovered and quipped hastily, "Better you not know, trust me."

Zelda had realized her mistake too late. The princess knew she could not tell the stranger her identity -for obvious reasons- and as much as Zelda wanted to trust the man who had saved her, there was something off about him, like he was hiding something. The young princess angrily thought about how ironic it was that to act "normal" everything then became overcomplicated.

Zelda cleared her throat, "Very well then, I too shall remain nameless; only fair." Zelda skipped in front of Link towards a street that was only visible from the dim light of lanterns and called over her shoulder, "Well, what are you waiting for?" Slightly taken by surprise by her easy compliance, Link's words only sounded as buffs of air. Swiftly, he regained his composure and smirked at the girl. He found it strange how she was the only one to leave him dumbfounded. Trotting up next to her Link declared, "My apologies, right this way miss." He motioned his right arm out slightly towards her and gave a playful grin.

On the way to the library, Zelda and Link did not say much to another, it was hard to talk in the streets where the silence felt suffocating. It was best to not wake the hidden dangers that lurked in the shadows to keep the prying ears at bay. So instead, they strolled calmly down the path, occasionally looking at the other and shyly catching the others eye. When they finally found the old library the winds had picked up and both were glad to enter the warm cottage. They feared a storm was brewing above them and did not wish to get drenched in the downpour. The quaint building was vacant of any other visitors and so quiet that the rustle of patting rain was easily heard through the antique walls. When the two youths walked by the elderly man who owned the library, he greeted the youngsters pleasantly and insisted they take their time. The frail man recognized Link from his past visit and wished him luck with his studies. Zelda gave Link a curious look, which caused him to explain sheepishly of his failed research while he was in town.

The princess helped pick out many books she believed would be of use to the stranger, which Link was frustrated that he had missed them completely. However, he was not shocked, the library was like a giant puzzle with the infinite amount of wooden shelves filled with fragile books. With Link and the princess carrying multiple textbooks and volumes in their hands, they travelled to one of the tables within the library that was secluded behind shelves that blocked them out of view from any other wary students who may decide to drop in.

Zelda had only begun her lecture when a question sprung into her head, "Why did you travel all the way to Hyrule Castle Town to do research? Were there no schools where you were from?" Link gazed up at Zelda and let out his breath while he professed, "I live in a village much smaller than Hyrule and access to knowledge is rather limited. It is quite secluded there so I decided it be best to come here to the city in hopes of learning something useful." Link decided that almost telling the truth was his best way at being convincing, as long as she wasn't too suspicious of him, she would not dwell further on his story.

Zelda glanced at Link and felt satisfied by his answer, "I see." She said calmly.

Now becoming interested in the girl's story, Link inquired, "How about you? Are you always such a night owl and prowl the streets at night?"

Zelda chuckled at Link's comment and gave him a warm smile, she already had her lie planned out, "I work as a nanny for a noble family just outside of town but my father lives here in the city. So sometimes when the parents have returned home to the estate and are no longer need of me, I travel to the city at night to visit my father since it is the only time I ever have to visit him."

Link said somberly, "Oh, I'm sorry," and averted the girl's gaze. When she had mentioned her father, it only brought back sad and painful memories for Link, feelings he'd rather remain buried from the surface. Pitying her he offered, "Must be tough on you, going back and forth all of the time and being separated from your family." Zelda felt guilt for lying to the man, but knew she had no other choice. Seeing how the conversation seemed to dishearten the stranger, Zelda tried to move the topic to something positive.

She wondered, "Does your family live in your village?" As Link heard the girl's question he felt another stab on the reopened wound. He had not recovered over his father's death and talking about it did not help in forgetting the memory.

With a sigh Link replied with a short and doleful, "No, I don't have one." and he sat, saying no more. After watching the effect of her curiosity, Zelda decided to drop the chatter and moved back to the pages of the history book she had placed on the table, answering every question Link asked on the topic.

This continued for some time as the two discussed and joked about Hyrule's bleak past. Link was surprised at the girl's endless amount of knowledge as not a single book could compete against her ability to tell remarkable stories of the wars and legends that took place over such a vast kingdom. To Link's amusement, the girl could even make the most drab politics sound engaging and Link felt compelled to listen to every detail. Despite the light tone of their conversation, when Link mentioned his interest in the military, his newfound teacher became apprehensive in the discussion.

The girl looked at the secret rebel sideways and remarked, "What would you desire with such information? What use is it to you?"

Link moved in his seat, sensing the clear shift in direction in the demeanor of the girl's voice. Knowing she would not openly release the information she held, Link decided to be less assertive.

Casually, he justified himself, deflecting the girls mistrusting manner by saying, "Simply to quench my curiosity. I was told I had relatives who once served the crown and wanted to feel more connected to them by learning about what it must have been like," Putting on his best act to seem genuinely enthusiastic Link gravitated closer towards the table and placed both arms as he leaned in, "Is it true that the current army is the largest and greatest one ever seen in Hyrule?" Zelda looked at the man with leery eyes but confirmed honestly, "It is no rumor that the army is indeed of immense numbers. So yes, that is fact."

The young rebel gave a false smile of fascination and continued, "Remarkable, I wonder how the king manages to move the such a large army with ease?"

Zelda was puzzled by the stranger's ignorance of a subject he seemed so keen on.

She proceeded to humor him and reckoned vaguely, "I believe there are multiple camps and ports scattered around the provinces that soldiers are stationed at for periods of time. That way the soldiers wouldn't have to constantly move between the territories and the capital and therefore never being left unguarded."

"I see, so the forces are evenly distributed to react quicker to disturbances across the country; however, doesn't that leave the capital more vulnerable to an attack?"

Zelda slightly glared at the man and stated firmly, "Like I said, the army is of immense numbers. And of course, the capital would be priority."

Sensing he would not be receiving any more information on the subject, Link decided to allow the conversation to move naturally from that point.

By the time they had finished for the night, the ill-tempered weather had relaxed and the old man was fast asleep peacefully at his desk. Deciding it best to wake the elderly bookkeeper, Zelda tapped on the man's shoulder till he regained consciousness. The man was startled when he awoke but after realizing it was just the two young visitors, he thanked them for coming and told them to return whenever they wanted. The young rebel and princess said their goodbyes to the old man and allowed him to lock up his establishment for the night.

Once outside, they took in the sweet scent of fresh rain and noticed their breath could be seen condensing in the air. Their shadows followed them in the torch light that lit the rebel's and the princess's path of cold stone paved streets, guiding them back to the city square.

Link told the girl he would escort her back to the fountain if she wished him to and Zelda graciously accepted. The two roamed back to the city's center quietly with the chilly air surrounding them. Echoing in a whisper, the continuous stream of the fountain could be heard ahead of them.

Soon they reached the water structure and Link spoke sweetly in Zelda's direction, "It would seem this is where we bid farewell. I thank you for all of your help tonight, I would've been lost without you their to guide me." Link's words caused Zelda's cheeks to feel hot and gave her an unfamiliar nauseating sensation in her stomach. It saddened her to know she would never see the man who had saved her again. She found his company refreshing. Normally, it was very rare for the princess to have the chance to speak so informally with someone who was not constantly fixated on social status or on the fact she was royalty. Selfishly, she did not want it to end, even while she knew it was wrong to think so recklessly.

Embarrassed, the princess timidly uttered, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but your research is yet to be completed. If you like, I could still aid you in your mission while you're in Hyrule…only… if that is what you wish…" The young rebel made eye contact with the mystery girl in front of him and contemplated her offer. Something inside of him begged to accept, but his mind warned him of the possible dangers of getting too involved with her. It pained him to think that he would never have the chance to know this girl. For the first time in a very long time, Link was himself again, and not the rebel leader who was given the responsibilities of his late father.

So with all rationality screaming in retaliation, Link agreed to the girls offer and asked to meet the following night. Before they said their goodnights and went their separate ways, the princess had planted a spontaneous kiss on the rebel's cheek. Both of the youths went their separate ways, both unaware of the challenges they would soon face.

* * *

Time went by quickly for the princess and the rebel in the days they spent together. Unfortunately, Link had to eventually return to Sontrae back at the village of Lumun after reaching the end of his three days. Yet, the rebel leader had become quite fixated on his new companion and wished to return soon to Hyrule. It comforted the rebel to know there was still a fraction of his soul that could function like a normal human outside fighting battles and calculating war strategies. So boldly, Link promised the girl he would come back to castle town on the fortnight and confessed that he wished to see her again. Over time, the librarian had become quite accustomed to their frequent visits and welcomed them warmly when he saw their faces; the elderly man was overjoyed that someone had taken liking to his collection. It became a habit for Link and Zelda to meet up in secret and over the course of a few weeks, the two had grown to enjoy the others company more and more.

Unfortunately for the rebel leader, his frequent visits to Hyrule Castle Town did not go unnoticed by those who served him. When he returned to the Isle from his latest trip, Link found Roderick already waiting for him in his study, arms crossed and his back leaned up against a wall.

"Welcome back, Captain," Roderick addressed distantly, "You seem to have enjoyed your journey to the mainland, what business did you have there this time hmm?" After hearing the severe quality of his ally's words, Link closed the door as a precaution and warily made his way into the room.

Without facing Roderick, Link placed his travel bag on a chair and began removing his cloak as he remarked defensively, "I was gathering Intel, as I informed you I was before I left the island."

Roderick pushed himself off the wall and took hefty strides towards Link, persisting with his accusing tone, "I find that rather strange, we have plenty of available scouts who would be happy to do the job," The second in command marched over to his captain and placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder, who's back was facing him, "I would rather you tell me what's _really_ going on Link, what is so important that you choose to keep it a secret?'

Link turned around to face his ally swiftly and demanded, "Are you doubting my judgment as captain Roderick?"

The older man gave an exhausted sigh as he closed his eyes in concealed irritation, "That's the thing Link, we may call you "captain," but your not just a captain anymore, your the head of this rebellion and losing you could dismantle everything we've worked for," when Link broke eye contact and crossed his arms, Roderick attempted to soften his approach, "You'll have to forgive my mistrust, but I've known you since you were a wee child and can tell your thoughts are not with us."

"I am not that same child Roderick."

"Aye, I can see that." Their words hung in the stale air as neither spoke. Deep down Link knew his friend was right, there was simply too much at stake for the rebellion he created to be taken lightly. The young rebel sauntered out unto the balcony of his office dejectedly and pulled at his blonde hair. Roderick soon followed after him, arms crossed.

Link knew it was futile to fight with his helmsman, so with reluctance he began, "You want the truth? Well here it is," the young rebel looked to Roderick dead in the eye with a blank expression and spoke, "I've met a girl, in Hyrule Castle Town."

Instantly the older man's face became twisted with surprise, and then anger.

"By the goddess you must be joking Link! Of all of the idiotic things—" Roderick trudged slowly towards his captain while he scolded, "Do you know what would happen if you were found out? In that forsaken place right under the king's nose?"

Link tried to interrupt, "Roderick—"

"You'd be a dead man Link. DEAD!"

"I know—" Link crooned.

"Then why risk everything for _a girl_?"

"I don't know! I understand that it's stupid but…" Link trailed off.

The second in command stood there silently for a moment, massaging his forehead with his overworked hand. The young captain stared woefully towards his mentor and grimly stated, "I don't know what to do Roderick." The older man gave Link a tired expression, but at seeing the boy so torn he decided nagging would not help the situation. They both gazed upon the lively village under them, with the crashing waves on the shoreline and seagulls calling out in the distance. Roderick turned to his captain, "I think you know what you need to do lad, the question is, will you do it? The young rebel stood in silence while stuck in thought, not responding to his second in command. "Look Link, I know here we don't get the luxury of havin' a normal life and livin' blissfully in peace; fate wasn't that kind," Roderick then gestured to the town and a bittersweet smile, "But look down there for a moment. For many people here, they have found new hope and the will to fight back against the evil that plagues this world. This rebellion is their last hope, _you're_ their last hope." The older rebel pushed on the balcony rail and began to take his leave. Before he did however, he said, "If you won't stop to protect yourself, stop to protect her. If you're caught, the girl may be dragged down with you." With nothing remaining to say, Roderick left the room, leaving Link alone with his thoughts.

It became apparent to Link that he had allowed his infatuation to go on for too long while he stood admiring the humble island below his feet. He had helped build the Isle to become the haven it was, just like he built the rebellion to be the force that it was. The rebel leader knew he had strayed from his course, and sadly, knew what he had to do.

* * *

A blast of the cool, fresh air hit Zelda's face as she strayed out from the castle's musty passage. The night was young and the familiar scent of rainfall comforted Princess Zelda as she listened to the rhythmic drops of water that fell from the dark foreboding sky. Lightning cracked in the distance with the rumble of thunder following not long after. Cautious to not alert anyone near by, the princess made her way to castle town to meet the young man who was cloaked with puzzles. To those on the outside, Zelda's friendship to a man who she did not know the name of would have seemed extremely odd and improper; but she did not care, she had spent her whole life being proper. No matter how many times Zelda travelled through the streets at night the city's aura always made the young princess's hair stand on edge. Holding her warm, soft fur-lined cloak close to her, Zelda hurriedly made her way to the randevú point at the center fountain. It appeared that the princess had arrived first and she stood alone with raindrops tapping on the hood of her shawl. She waited patiently, listening for any stirring around her. It was hard to grasp how much time was truly passing, but it felt like an eternity.

Unknowingly to Zelda, she was not alone. Lieutenant General Pipit Devegar was leading his patrol through the damped streets of Hyrule Castle Town when in the corner of his eye he saw something. There was a girl, standing alone drenched by the downpour in the town square. The girl turned her head to the side, allowing Pipit to catch a glimpse of her side profile. It was Princess Zelda, his eyes widened with shock. The Hyrulean soldier thought his eyes to be deceiving him but it could not be anyone else, even though her appearance had changed; her soft facial features and proud posture remained the same. He watched her for some time, signaling his men to stop but as the princess had begun strolling away from the fountain the lieutenant general slowly crept out from behind the wall. However not long after, another suspicious person approached Zelda from behind her without her noticing. The figure was covered by a black cloak and appeared to be a man from the broad stature.

He was approaching Zelda fast and Pipit's instincts took over him. Instantly, Pipit's hand reached for his sword at his hip and yelled out, "Behind you!" Without watching for the princess's reaction Pipit charged towards the cloaked stranger and released a hefty swing with his long sword at the stranger's torso. In the last possible second, the man dodged out of the way of the weapon, but in doing so caused his hood to fall behind his head, revealing his face. Dread filled Pipits veins as the eyes of the rebel leader, Link Nohansen, pierced through him while the rebel drew his blade.

" _It can't be…_ " Pipit whispered under his breath in disbelief. He could not fathom why the princess would be out in the city alone without informing any guards or how in the world the most nefarious rebel would just happen to know her location. Zelda called out to her general, but he did not falter. Instinctually, the lieutenant general put his body in front of Zelda's in the form of a human shield, not taking his gaze of Link.

The rebel stood firmly, ready to attack as he demanded in a panicked tone, "Let her go!"

Link's words confused the soldier, as if he would just hand the princess of Hyrule over to a criminal. Pipit responded by lunging towards the rebel, causing a battle to ensue between the two. Shouting out to his squadron, the lieutenant general ordered, "Surround him! Protect the princess at all costs!"

 _Princess?_ Link thought as he began to back up from the approaching soldiers racing towards him, he was outnumbered.

"Pipit stop this at once! You misunderstand—" Zelda screamed desperately but was cut off.

"Misunderstand? Your highness that is Link Nohansen, the most wanted man in Hyrule! Care to tell me what I am misunderstanding?"

Zelda faced Link stunned, her body feeling paralyzed in her tracks. Silently, she watched as the rebel's blade collided with the general's and as the castle guards quickly encircled Link, encaging him inside their wall of swords. She thought back to the night of her birthday, when she first glimpsed into the eyes of the rebel leader, Link, for the first time. Till now, Zelda had pushed away the memory, the memory of the fire, of the cold steel on her neck, and of the harsh hold of her captor. She never had felt more frightened. When the doctor arrived to check the princess for any injuries, Zelda was quiet and unresponsive. When she had failed to try to re-account the events of that disastrous night the doctor diagnosed Zelda with symptoms of post-traumatic shock in which she suffered from temporary memory-loss. Simply, she pushed the memories away from her conscious mind. Having all the memories surface in Zelda's head at once made her hands and legs shake. Why was she so afraid of him? Was it because he used her as a hostage in the past? Or was it because she had unknowingly spent months around a man that could have easily killed her in an instant? Never once did she feel any malicious intent from Link; nothing was making sense.

Clearly overwhelmed by the number of soldiers Link searched for any chance of escape. When he frantically scouted the guards, he lost focus on his fight with the lieutenant general and felt the sting of Pipit's sword cutting into his left shoulder. A kick was driven into the rebel's back causing him to lose balance and fall unto a knee. All weapons were pointed at Link's head as he stared up at Pipit with intense disgust. The icy touch of Pipit's steel blade was felt under the rebel's chin, threatening to dig into Link's flesh. Facing defeat, the rebel dropped his weapon, allowing it to clank against the stone ground.

"Link Nohansen, you are under arrest for committing treason against the royal crown and against Hyrule. Prepare to face justice." Pipit looked to his soldiers and ordered them to take Link away. Before they did however, Zelda and Link met each other's eyes. Link's expression of anger slightly softened when he saw the princess; her eyes were filled to the brim with tears. Being forcefully dragged by guards, Link broke his gaze and struggled against the soldiers hold, sensing his eventual demise approaching.

Pipit rushed over to Zelda, placing a protective hold on her arms, concern in his eyes.

"Are you alright Zelda? You're not hurt are you? Why are you out here by yourself like this?" His questions continued but they fell on deaf ears. The princess just watched as Link was yanked away from sight, probably heading for the prison under Hyrule Castle's base. Realizing Zelda would not respond Pipit tenderly walked her back to her room inside the castle walls. It appeared that the event had gained some attention of the public, who tentatively peered out of doors and windows, some even behind street walls, whispering.

* * *

 _Snap!_ Link yelped as a searing pain ran through his left hand, every finger had been forcefully broken by the man who leered over him. The man's name was Dullahan, who introduced himself as the King's personal "interrogator," and wore a eerie grin that stretched from ear to ear as he laughed quietly at Link's agony. The rebel leader was drenched in his sweat and blood. With multiple cuts and bruises marking his face and body, Link was so exhausted that he now longer could hold himself up. He was held up by the tight grips of two guards, their faces baring no sympathy.

The man chimed to Link, "You've certainly lasted longer than expected boy, but it is unnecessary for you to keep on suffering like this. Just simply tell me what I want to know and this can all be over, wouldn't you like that?" The king's servant spoke with false kindness; he had been trying to question Link for hours, using any method of torture as a means to get him to talk. The man mainly wanted to know the location of Hylia's Isle, which Link would never tell him. If the rebel leader gave Hyrule that information, everyone he cared about would be slaughtered or worse. It was a secret Link would keep to the grave and at this rate; he would be ten feet under ground. As the day had gone on, the rebel had been severely beaten, slashed, whipped, and had multiple fractured bones to the soldier's entertainment.

Link glared up at the man and sneered bitterly, "Over my dead body," and he spat blood at Dullahan's feet defiantly. The interrogator gazed up from his shoes with distaste written on his face into Link's eyes. Without warning Dullahan tightly clutched the rebels neck with a ravenous grip, cutting of youth's air. Slowly he studied Link's face with a sadistic glare.

As the rebel contorted in discomfort the interrogator spoke calmly, "I would be doing the world a service if I ended your pathetic life," footsteps echoed down off the dungeon floor, "and don't think I won't hesitate to do it." Link's sight became fuzzy and the sounds around him were muddled. His body screamed for air while he violently writhed in the guards gripped, fighting viciously for air.

Link heard a distorted voice in the distance, " _…Sir Dullahan…_ "

The lungs in the rebel's chest burned and he felt his consciousness leaving him fast.

"DULLAHAN!" Instantly the hand on Link's neck was released and the youth gasped to breathe.

Dullahan whipped his head around furiously to look at the visitor as Link coughed loudly trying to take in air. The rebel's vision was gradually returning and he believed he saw the Lieutenant General standing on the other side of his cell.

Dullahan hotly stood up and stomped towards General Pipit; his voice cross, "May I inquire as to why you have interrupted my work General? I am simply following orders!"

Pipit moved closer towards Dullahan with a stern expression and spoke with a low voice, "Yes it is true, your orders were to interrogate the prisoner but have you forgotten the King still wishes to speak to him?" The general looked over the torturers shoulder and stared down at Link's crippled body, then back to Dullahan, "For that he needs to be _alive._ His body cannot take much more."

"My apologies General, I did not know you were more qualified for the job! How about you take a crack at him and see how far you get with your… _soft touch."_ Once Dullahan was done his mocking, he gestured his guards to exit Link's cell, leaving Pipit and the rebel alone. Link was lying on the ground struggling to keep him upright and he forced his body to be supported on a nearby cold stonewall. The rebel and General simply stared at each other distrustingly until Pipit spoke. The General squatted down closer to Link's height and calmly stated, "Your so young to be the leader of such an elaborate group."

Link gave out a short laugh, which he half choked and joked, "And I thought a "General" would be wearing a beard of silver hairs and wrinkles thicker than their battle scars." Pipit let out a small chuckle at that.

His face fell however, his tone now much colder, "How in the goddesses name did you get Princess Zelda out in Castle Town the night I found you? Did you threaten her? Use blackmail?"

Link wiped the blood falling from his split lip and responded disheartened, "Nothing of the sort," he looked at the Lieutenant General confused, "Couldn't you just ask her yourself?"

The General let out a sigh and admitted, "As of late, she isn't speaking about the incident with anyone and stays quietly within the confines of her room." The conversation went quiet. During this time Link decided it was a good time to observe the General. He was reasonably young and appeared much more sane than the other servants of the King Link had encountered. As expected he was quite built as Link had noticed from clashing swords with him a few days prior. His face looked sterner than it should for his years. _War will do that to you,_ Link thought.

Pipit abruptly raised his body and slowly made his way to the exit, but before he did he spoke one last time, "I believe it would be futile to ask you on where on earth you've hidden your lair and I do not intend to continue your suffering during your final hours, but know this," Pipit turned his head slightly over his shoulder, "If I discover you did _anything_ to harm the Princess, I will personally finish you myself." Then he left.

On his way out of the dungeon the General walked passed Dullahan hastily, with the arrogant man calling out to him, "No luck sir?" Pipit stopped in his tracks and without turning to face Dullahan he declared sullenly, "Remember Dullahan, a corpse cannot hold a conversation. If I were you, I'd keep the rebel alive long enough to see the King," He continued in a taunting manner, "But then again, it's not my neck on a rope if the boy dies." The General then made his way out the dungeon, glad to breathe air that did not reek of death.

* * *

Author's Note:

So sorry for going on hiatus for so long. It's a poor excuse but I've been super busy and I wanted to make sure that this chapter was good enough to post. As always I apologize for any grammatical errors but I can never seem to catch all my mistakes when I post chapters. Anyway, hope it was worth the wait (if any of y'all are still here haha) and please enjoy!

(P.S) I hope to post more frequently in the future!

 _Disclaimer: I don't not own "The Legend of Zelda". All rights belong to the respective owner(s)._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Battle Cries at Dawn

* * *

Link felt the harsh carpet tug at his clothes as he was dragged along down a leering and foreboding hallway. It was dusk, and the raging crimson colours of the sky flooded through the glass stained windows, leaving reflections on the walls and floor. The rebel leader felt his open wounds push and pull apart as the calloused hands of two guards brutishly carried him. Struggling to comprehend his surroundings, Link faintly noticed the carpet shift to dark stone as they moved into a different room that was dimly lit by blazing torches on the walls. Link was suddenly dropped and forced to kneel upright in the center of the room, he was too weak to fight back. Then, the rebel came face to face with the infamous King of Hyrule himself and the distaste in Link's mouth caused a revolted expression to be painted on his face as he glared sharply towards the throne. With a sadistic grin and plotting stare, the monarch watched over the prisoner like his captured prey, ready to be ripped apart.

The king stood, "Welcome Link Nohansen to Hyrule Castle! I must say I am overjoyed to finally meet you. I pray your stay here has been comfortable?" He chuckled to himself. Link remained quiet, simply looking the King in the eye with detest. "You've given my men quite the challenge, haven't you? Bravely keeping silent to protect your friends, how touching," Slowly King Cedrick made his way down the steps of his golden throne, approaching arrogantly towards Link. The rebel leader never so badly wanted to slit a man's throat and his mind flooded with bloodlust. "Why the face Link? Oh come now, do try to be a gracious loser and accept defeat. It will be so much easier on us both."

Link could not stop his anger from taking over and he snapped, "I am not defeated until I am dead." The rebel pushed against his restraints in frustration, causing him to almost lose his balance.

With a roaring laugh, the King lured over Link, "Do not tempt me," and he casually strolled away from Link, turning his back to him.

The rebel sneered, "If I am to die, then my cause will live on. A civil war is brewing, and you'll be the first to fall."

A strong hand whipped across Links face as a guard growled, "You would do well to learn to hold your tongue in his majesty's presence!"

Link spat the blood out of his mouth and defiantly snarled, "That is not _my_ king."

Outside the Great Hall, a curious and unsettled Zelda hid behind a marble wall looking into the throne room where she could see the rebel and her father from a close distance. She was shocked at the boy's battered state. His clothes were soaked red and tattered, his face purple and cut, his arms and legs slashed, and even his once beautiful blond hair was tainted with blood and dirt. It upset her to think her father's men went to such extremes, but she could not speak out and had to remain quietly hidden in the shadows.

"My my you are persistent. Well, let's see if our _guests_ can help you regain your manners." With that said, Cedrick motioned to a guard and a door of the hall was opened. Links eyes went wide, and his skin became cold as the familiar faces of Taiga and Jax entered the room. However, they were not as Link remembered, they were bruised and bleeding with their once carefree expressions now absorbed by sorrow.

 _"What? No, it can't be…"_ Link thought. He gathered all his strength to stand and tried to run to their side, ignoring the sharp burning in his leg that threatened a collapse. Roughly, the guards pulled Link back towards them, raising a knife to his throat as a warning.

With an amused tone, King Cedrick explained, "Your friends must care about you greatly to come to your aid. A noble effort, yet in vain."

The King leisurely stepped towards the two young rebels, receiving a yell of retaliation from Link to stop. The sinister king ignored the rebel leader and watched the frightened youths menacingly. At the same time, Princess Zelda was peering from around the corner, unsure of what to make of her father's strangely malevolent behaviour and tone. It was almost as if that man was just an imposter that was wearing his clothes and crown, but under his facade was a stranger. His wicked eyes and evil grin bore no resemblance to the warm and friendly face of her father. He toyed and mocked the rebels in such a distasteful manner for a dignified king. She listened as he continued once again, "As fortune would have it, your friends have looser tongues than their leader, and we finally have the location of Hylia's Isle. Such a shame for your sacrifice to have been a waste." Link gazed upon the guilty and despaired faces of his friends. He understood all too well the horrors they had faced in that dungeon and could not bring it upon himself to feel angry towards them. From their severe injuries, the rebel knew they had put up a good fight, and he knew that in the end, he was the one to blame. Link cursed at himself for being so naive and idiotic as now all of the lives of his friends were in peril because of his poor decisions.

Sadness surged through him as he saw a grieving Taiga whisper in his direction, _"I'm sorry."_

"Damaris, hand me my sword," said the King as he turned to face the rebel leader, "It would appear that your friends are of no value to me now, and it is my responsibility to purge this world of such... _filth_." Anger flooded into Link's face. Damaris, the name of the man who ordered his fathers death, a man so shrouded in corruption and greed he was more part monster than human. Obediently, Damaris handed his king his blade, which caused terror to flood into Link's face.

"No don't!" The rebel leader demanded. It seemed that the fear that once was ridden in Taiga and Jax's faces melted away. Perhaps their fear was not of the King or his weapons, but instead from the idea of facing Link after their betrayal. Tears threatened to fall from Link's eyes as he struggled helplessly in his captor's grip. _"Not again!"_ the rebel leader thought, _"Please not again!"_ King Cedrick raised his blade and ran it across Taiga's throat. "STOP!" Link cried. The young girl did not fall right away and a crimson liquid traced down her neck and from her mouth. Her eyes that were once locked on her captain slowly closed and she hit the stone floor hard. Unhurriedly, the King moved towards Jax, who looked away from the body of his fallen comrade to face him. The sword was sent through Jax's chest, and he let out a gasp of pain while the blade remained buried in his body for a few seconds. Jax gave one last look to his captain, his expression calm and almost blank. Then he fell. Link's friends laid in a pool of their own blood, lifeless and still. Silently Link fell back to the ground, his face stained with salty tears.

Zelda wished she had looked away, but her eyes could not leave the gruesome sight of the young rebels deaths. The princess felt like crying or running away, but instead, she stood like a statue hoping it was a terrible nightmare. _"This is how war is Zelda,"_ she tried to reason to herself but failed to find comfort in her excuses. She watched as her father trudged towards the rebel leader, the bloodstained sword still in hand and she began feeling panicked. The King raised the sword above his head, but Link did not look up to face it. When the sword came raining down the rebel leader awaited the abyss, but it never happened. Instead, the sword was driven into the cold stone in front of Link's face. He looked up confused.

Boisterly, King Cedrick claimed, "You will not have the satisfaction of death. Instead, you will watch as we burn down every house and slaughter every man, wife, and child on Hylia's Isle that you so dearly cherish. It will be your fault that they die, and you will have the rest of your days rotting in prison to remember that." Zelda could not listen any longer, and she finally regained enough strength in her legs to leave the room. She sprinted down the halls, her footsteps echoing with every frantic step. The princess passed by the castle's servants and disregarded their curious faces.

Zelda spotted her faithful friend Impa approaching from down the same hall and heard her ask, "Where in the goddess's name have you been? I've been looking for you all over the castle—" But Zelda did not answer her. Instead, she ran into her and planted her face into Impa's chest and began desperately weeping.

"Zelda? My dear, what is the matter?" Impa encircled the princess in a caring embrace trying to calm her down and when Zelda refused to speak, Impa took her up to her chambers. Her guardian did not know what put her in such a state and could only seem to comfort her with her company. The princess sat on her window seat facing the glass, staring with swollen eyes at nothing in particular. While she and her father did not always see eye to eye, she never would have believed he could act that way unless she saw it herself. Zelda felt guilty for the rebels deaths, for their pain. If Pipit never saw her the night she snuck out, he would have never found Link and those two young rebels would still be alive today. The princess felt that she had been forced to see the truth of the world around her and therefore, to leave her sheltered life. It was the first time she had witnessed someone die, but she feared it would not be the last time.

* * *

Link stared up at the moon from the tiny window high above his head. He felt alone as the giant light was in the sky. The death of his friends still weighed heavy on his heart and the guilt stun more than any of his wounds; they were younger than him, just kids, and now their life was cut short. How would he ever be able to face their families and their friends again?

 _"Oh, that's right. I won't ever be seeing them alive again, and it's all my fault,"_ Link said in his thoughts. He basked in the moonlight and rested his weary head against the hard stone wall and felt hot tears roll down his cheeks as he ran his only working hand over his face. Link started to shiver and he wrapped his other arm around him. Praying to the sky, Link begged for help from the Goddesses -if they even existed- and if not, for forgiveness from his friends, for his death. Gradually exhaustion took over Link, and the light of the moon went dark.

* * *

Link was woken up with a start. A hand was placed over his mouth, and when his eyes stopped fluttering and focused, he met eyes with the princess of Hyrule. Startled by her sudden appearance Link pushed away from her, causing him to hit his head against the wall behind him.

Quickly but quietly the princess explained, "It's alright, I'm not here to hurt you." Link only responded by meeting her gaze. She was as beautiful as he remembered, but behind that pretty face laid the ugly truth; they were born to be mortal enemies. When Link did not say anything in return, Zelda gently raised her hand towards his face as she frowned at his cuts and bruises. "What have they done to you?" She whispered softly. Link flinched at the touch of her hand and moved away as far as he could.

"Why have you come? To admire your father's handiwork?" Link scoffed. Zelda felt hurt by his harsh words but understood he was in pain, mentally and physically.

Without returning his dour demeanor, Zelda spoke hesitantly, "I have come to help you escape. You need to warn your people if we want to avoid a complete massacre." The rebel was shocked by her answer and did not know if he believed it, would she betray her father?

"Aren't they traitors to you and the King? Why would you help them?"

Zelda let her frustration show, "You believe I wish for the deaths of hundreds of people?" He did not answer her and broke eye contact. She continued, "Look, we don't have much time until the guards find me here, if you want to leave this place, you have to trust me and go now." The rebel knew his options were limited and if she was lying, it could not get much worse for him. So the young man agreed, and soon another figure emerged into the cell. It was a tall and built woman with strange tribal clothing. She had deep, sharp red eyes and had a teardrop tattoo on the left of her face. The woman was years his senior but by no means an "old lady," even though her hair was bright white.

"This is Impa, my guardian and most trusted ally. She is here to help us in your escape." Link nodded in acknowledgement but knew from the disapproving stature of the woman that she was not there for his sake. Quickly, the princess grabbed the cuffs around Link's wrists and spoke a few inaudible words, and to his surprise, the chains crumbled into silver sand before his very eyes.

"How did you—?"

He was cut off by Impa's stern tone.  
"We have no time to lose, let's go." The princess guided Link, who was being supported by her servant as he could not walk by himself with his injuries. The rebel did not know how many bones were broken or sprained and counting seemed futile.

After a long and nerve-racking journey from the dungeons, Link was set on the princess's bed, and he took in the sights of the room decorated with gold relics and ancient paintings. It was extraordinary for Link to see such a sight, for he would never dream of possessing such immense wealth. The princess closed her door carefully and made her way to the bed while stating blatantly, "We haven't much time, I need to heal as many of your wounds as I can, then you must go." She turned to her servant, "Impa, please keep guard for a moment. It won't be long."

The Sheikah's face contorted in disbelief, "You cannot expect I'd leave you here with…him can you?" Zelda gave a stern and pleading glance at her guardian who finally resigned and obliged. Zelda took no time in casting her healing spell, revealing a light blue glow over her hands. She touched the young man's fractured leg, making him draw in a deep breath of air and to bite his lip.

Softly the princess relented while gazing up at Link, "I'm sorry, for everything." The rebel looked down at Zelda and saw the shame and the remorse in her eyes. It reminded him of how Taiga looked before she died.

Forcing the thought away, Link replied, "You didn't know, and it was not your hand that killed my friends or sliced my skin." He gave a somber smile towards her.

"But it was my father and his men…" After a second of quiet, she added, "You asked earlier if I felt the people of Hylia's Isle were traitors. In all honesty, I think it is the royal family who betrayed them first." It amazed Link how he never could predict her words or actions, she was a mystery to him.

Once Link's leg was restored to normal, Zelda moved unto the bed. Link was cradling his injured hand, which appeared very disfigured. She gestured out her hand and apprehensively, and he took it. He listened to the strange words of a language he did not understand and watched as a bright blue light shown through their hands. The pure light danced around them, and Link felt the pain subside from his broken fingers. After a few minutes, Link regained full use of his hand and chuckled in amazement.

"That's incredible, I've never seen magic like this since—" Link paused, feeling his own guilt wash over him, "Since we met on the night of your birthday." Zelda let go of his hand and shifted her gaze, but Link grabbed her hand once again, "I am sorry for what I did and said to you that night. Please forgive me." He looked sincerely into her eyes, making her blush.

"I-It's fine." She stammered. Her cheeks only became hotter once she realized something, "Um-can you take your shirt off for me?" The rebel's face went flushed as his eye's widened and whatever response he was going to say was jumbled. Zelda added quickly, "I-I mean since I should heal the slashes on your torso…they seem quite severe…"

Link felt very foolish for a moment and nodded. He removed the bloodstained shirt from his body and Zelda delicately placed her hands over a large diagonal gash on the rebel's chest and began casting once again. It did not help her when trying to concentrate that she was afraid of shaking; it was the first time in her life she had ever touched a man's bare skin or ever been alone with a man who wasn't her father. Their close proximity and the fact that Link was half naked made Zelda feel aflutter and embarrassed. Despite that she tried not to, Zelda could not help but glance at the rebel's muscular body. He was tall, extremely toned and built with large shoulders. His skin was lightly bronzed from days in the sun, which made his bright blue eyes stand out. It was like he was sculpted by the goddesses, she found him…breathtaking. His skin felt smooth and warm under her fingers and she was worried she would lose concentration. _"This is not the time to be thinking like this!"_ Zelda scolded herself while trying to ignore his gaze as he watched her with his sapphire eyes. Finally, her magic had done its job and the gashes on his chest, back and arms stopped bleeding and were almost completely healed. The princess felt a wave of lightheadedness swarm over her from using her magic so much at one time -considering she almost had no experience using it- and would have fainted straight into the rebel's chest had he not caught her. Both of her hands were placed just under his collarbones, and his arms were holding her firmly, but kindly. The princess's hazel brown eyes bore into his with her face only inches from Link's.

"I'm so sorry I don't know what suddenly came over me—"

"It's quite alright," he said sweetly, without breaking their stare. It almost seemed as if they were being drawn together, slowly. When it appeared they as if their lips would practically touch, Impa came bursting through the door frantically.

"The boy needs to go now, something's happened—" The Sheikah stopped for a moment and looked at the two youths who rapidly separated from their close encounter and nervously avoided each other. The guardian gave Zelda a disapproving glare and furrowed her eyebrows skeptically. Continuing her speech, she gave the rebel a hostile scowl.

"Hyrule Castle is under attack by Terminan troops. You must leave now if you don't want to be caught within a war zone!" Both Link and Zelda's faces showed their bewilderment, especially Zelda.

"Why now? This cannot be…" Said the princess confused.

Impa addressed the princess urgently, "Take Link down your secret passage and return here as soon as you can. I'll wait here to make sure no one finds out about where you have gone, but please hurry!" Zelda nodded and removed the stone in the center of the room to expose the hidden door. Zelda disappeared into her closet and returned with a cloak. Taking Link by the hand and torchlight in the other, she began racing down the steps into the tunnel. Sounds of explosions could be heard through the walls of the passage, and the distant sound of battle cries reverberated through the hall.

When they approached the final wall Link alarmingly declared, "There's no way out!" The princess let go of his hand and placed it on the wall, provoking the symbol on the back of her hand to glow.

 _"The Triforce?"_ Link questioned internally.

With a hum the door lit up and began shifting to make an opening, "I have left through this door many times, every time I went to meet you in fact." Zelda said reminiscently. After the door was completely opened Zelda turned to Link. "This is where we part, for good this time." She wrapped the cloak around Link and tied it affectionally.

* * *

Link felt sullen and murmured graciously, "Thank you for all your help, I'd be trapped in that cell for the rest of my life if it weren't for you."

Zelda let out a small chuckle, "I was just returning the favor…" Her smile disappeared, "Save your people Link, as I couldn't," She gave the rebel a genuine embrace in which he returned fully. Link held her and placed a hand on the back of her head tenderly. The princess hid her face in his cloak but their time together did not last long. She let go, "Good luck, and goodbye." Without letting Link respond, Zelda ran up back towards the stairs with a peculiar feeling of the strings of her heart pulling tightly.

* * *

Link discreetly made his way through the burning streets of Castle Town with enemy soldiers of Hyrule and Termina swarming the roads and alleys fighting one another. The rising sun made the sky shine a red colour that matched the fires and ambers of the fallen houses and shops of the town. People were fleeing and shouting, Terminan soldiers clashed swords with Hyrule's guards or chased the citizens like hungry beasts. There was only one thing the rebel had left to do in the city, to find his horse Epona. The rebel headed towards the stables as Link turned around a corner near where the stables were, and he saw a mother and her two young children being taunted by a Terminan foot-solider. Link recognised the fallen behind them who was bleeding on the ground unconscious. It was the kind stable's owner, and Link suspected that these people guarding him were his family. The young children screamed in terror as the man pulled on their mother's hair while she shielded them from him with her arms.

"Please stop it!" Begged the women desperately and she fought to stay by her children's side. When he refused to listen, the mother's son came from behind her and kicked the man hard in the knee. The soldier let go of the women's hair, but then turned to the child and slapped him, causing him to fall over.

"You brat!" Angrily yelled the solider as he picked the little boy up by his neck and shook him relentlessly. Ignoring the mother's screaming and pleading for mercy the man grabbed his dagger from his belt and aimed at the boy's stomach. However, before the solider moved his arm Link darted towards the man and slammed into his side, making the solider drop his knife and drop the boy. "Why you—" The soldier picked up his dagger and charged towards the rebel leader. However, Link grabbed the man's wrist of the hand holding the knife and sent his foot hard into the soldier's stomach. As he moved back gasping for air Link used that time to release a punch to the man's jaw, knocking him out cold. The boy ran back to his mother's side and wrapped his arms around her leg.

She gave a grateful smile towards the rebel, "Thank you for saving us!" Link nodded gently and asked hastily, "My horse was kept in your stables, and I must find her. Can you help me?"

The woman's eyes filled with tears and looked somberly at Link, "I'm sorry…it's too late."

"What?" Link turned and raced towards the stables fearing the worst. When he arrived, he saw that what he dreaded was true. Flames spewed from the windows, roof and doors of the wooden stables and Link heard the frantic whine of Epona from inside. Link noticed a sword and shield near a fallen Hylian soldier and grabbed them for himself. Just before Link went into the burning building the little boy from before came running from the street behind him shouting, "Wait! You can't go in there! You'll die!" But the rebel ignored him and barreled through the front doors with his arm in front of his face. Link spotted Epona in a nearby stall who was wildly rearing and kicking her front legs.

"Hold on!" Link called as he raced towards his horse, nearly being hit with a falling plank from the ceiling. With the smoke burning Link's lungs he charged towards Epona's stall and yanked on the door but noticed a fallen pillar blocked it. Without hesitating Link began slicing away at the wood, his breath getting weaker as he started feeling fatigue from loss of air take over him.

Outside the little boy watched the flames grow higher around his father's stable, searching for any signs of the man who disappeared within the fire.

"He's not gonna make it." Whispered the boy dismally as he turned to find his mother. The boy had only walked a few steps when the sound of the stable's doors whipping open and a horse's loud neighing behind him. The boy turned his head and saw the young man triumphantly on the back of his horse, his clothes slightly charred and his face marked with soot. Mystified, the boy watched in awe as the man rode off with the stables collapsing aflame behind him and a determined look in his eye.

The rebel directed his horse the Elden province as he could see Terminan troops were advancing from Faron Woods. He rode fast and felt Epona's feet run over the tuff terrain. The sun rode overhead and let down an unforgiving blaze over the rebel leader. On high alert, Link noticed two white horses galloping furiously through the field just slightly behind him. It appeared four other black horses were chasing them and their riders cloaked. When the rebel looked closer, he recognised the two passengers as Princess Zelda and her bodyguard Impa. Multiple arrows were being shot towards them, and their assailants were catching up swiftly. Link thought about turning away and riding to safety, but he remembered something. He remembered Zelda's kindness, her sincerity, and her ideals of justice. Then his mind imagined what would happen if he turned a blind eye, arrows would pierce through them and they would fall into the grass below them, soaking it red. Link refused to let that happen.

Abruptly, the rebel pulled on the reigns of Epona's harness and stormed towards the black horses. Zelda was vigilantly avoiding the arrows flying past her head and tried to maneuver her way over the rolling plains. When she turned her head to look behind, she saw an arrow going straight towards her and chest. Surprised, Zelda watched as a familiar figure rode straight into the arrows path and blocked it with his shield. It was Link. Another arrow came after and sliced the rebel's hand slightly, but not enough to cause serious harm. Link swung his blade at the adversaries, and one by one fell to their death, their horses saddles empty and the horses running away scared across the field. Link noticed something strange about the aggressors; they were all women with very similar defining facials features. Their skin was a dark golden tan, their eye's piercing with intensity, their hair a scorching crimson. Were these warriors women of the lost Gerudo tribe? Their appearance fit the legends and their strength would indicate they were skilled fighters. Link was filled with questions, why would people of the Gerudo tribe wish to harm the future monarch? Why would they be sided with Termina? Didn't the tribe go instinct?

In the distance Link could see more approaching soldiers coming for them at an alarming rate. The rebel caught up to the princess and Impa and yelled, "More troops are headed this way, we need to escape their line of sight and hide you two somewhere they can't find you!" Without saying a word, Zelda turned to Impa for advice, who looked at the two youths and stated, "I know a place, we can take a hidden road in the forest just outside of Kakariko Village, follow me!" Quickly all three riders rode into the camouflage of the forest, galloping as fast as their horses would go. They dodged tree branches and jumped over gaps along the untraveled path. The trail was on top of a very steep hill and had an unforgiving drop. Link felt Epona's foot slip on the edge of the road and felt her weight going downwards towards the cliff.

"Link!" Called out Zelda startled. Epona struggled to regain her footing but soon found a steady rock and gave a hearty push back to the path on the hill and the rebel nodded for them to continue. The group rode for a long time into midday and eventually the horses began to tire. So, the Sheikah, princess, and rebel stopped to allow their horses to rest by a fresh spring. The rebel laid in the grass calmly under the shade next to a paranoid princess. Impa was tending her horse that was strained from a bad landing when they jumped over a large hole on the trail.

Link looked up at the princess who was holding her knees close to her chest and said reassuringly, "Don't worry Zelda, your safe now. We've made enough distance between them and us so you can rest for a little while."

She looked at him pessimistically, "How can I rest when my father and people are still fighting for their country while I run like a coward to safety?"

The loud voice of Impa was directed at the princess, "Because if you were captured by enemy forces you could do very little to help your people from behind bars. We were invaded, outnumbered, and unprepared. By getting you out of the capital, the country still has the certainty of a future monarch."

"But it is not like I would be allowed to rule, the law states that a woman is unfit to rule without a husband, a rather stupid law might I add. And besides, I do not wish my father's death." Zelda retorted bitterly. Everyone went silent and Impa went back to nursing her horse. Zelda spoke up once again and broke the stillness, "Link, why did you come to save us?"

Link sat up leisurely and faced the princess, "It's just like your friend said, you're the next monarch of Hyrule, and in all honesty, I trust you more with the country than some random pompous noble who they would sit on the throne to replace you."

"I'm flattered," Zelda said wryly and turned her attention to the glittering pools of the spring.

Link knew his response was cold, but he did not know how to truthfully answer her question.

What was he supposed to say? _"I had to save you because I couldn't bear the idea of losing another friend and I care greatly about your wellbeing for some strange reason I don't understand?"_ Link's pride prevented him from saying such things. So instead, he got up and made his way towards Epona, who was near Impa, her back turned to him and petting her horse. He sighed and got onto Epona's back and took the reins in hand. "You're leaving already?" Asked Zelda dolefully.

Link turned to face the princess and stated, "I must return to Hylia's Isle to warn my people of a possible attack. The invasion by Termina may delay your father's troops for a little while, but the Isle is no longer safe. I have to go to them." Zelda nodded and stared down at the grass dejectedly. However, when Link was about to order Epona forward, he felt a pain travel up his arm from his hand that had been cut by the arrow and then felt the burning move through the rest of his body. Every inch of him was in agony, and his breath sharply left his lungs. The girls looked worryingly at the rebel and called out his name but he could not hear them. His vision went blurry and his head felt light. Suddenly, Link fell from his saddle into the water's below him, his body crashing and caused a loud _splash!_ Zelda and Impa rushed over to Link to raise his head from beneath the water and to pull him out onto dry land. He coughed up the water, and then it was followed by blood. The princess placed the rebel's head on her lap and called out his name multiple times, but he was not responsive.

With anxiety creeping upon her face Zelda turned to her guardian for help, "Impa what do we do? What's wrong with him?" Impa's eyebrows furrowed confused and her eye's glanced over the young man until she spotted his hand. It was oozing with a black liquid that almost seemed to emit a dark light. The dark colour ran up the rebel's arm, his skin beginning to look tainted black.

Then it hit her, "Don't touch his hand Zelda!" Impa warned, "The arrows those soldiers were shooting must have been coated with poison!"

Zelda's eyes widened with fear as she looked down at the rebel who was breathing heavily and becoming feverish.

"Can we help him? I can try using healing magic!" Zelda offered.

"No I don't think so, you don't have the strength to be able to cleanse him completely, and I don't believe this poison is normal. I've never seen any behave this way."

"Then what do we do Impa? There must be something!"

Impa was not sure if they could save him but she had an idea, "We will take him with us to the Sheikah village outside of Kakariko, the elders may know how to cure him. We don't know how much time he has left so we must leave now." Zelda agreed with her friend's plan and they rode off towards the village, with Epona tied to the reigns of Impa's horse and Link resting his weight on Zelda as she rode on and held him in front of her. They hurriedly travelled through the trees wasting no time. The colours of the tress began a blurred green as the sped through the endless miles of forest. They approached the end of the rode and the sun's rays lighted up forest. Zelda was following Impa until she suddenly stopped and put up her hand to signal the princess to do the same. Without warning, people jumped down from tall branches; carry knives, bows and other weapons. Zelda's face went pale. They wore clothing similar clothing as her guardian and bore the same teardrop symbol under their eyes. A young woman walked forward towards Impa, whose body was cover with by heavy cloth.

"You are trespassing on sacred land! It is forbidden for outsiders to continue beyond this point, leave now or die!"

Impa laughed genuinely and spoke with confidence, "Oh? And am I an outsider?" Impa pulled her hood back and faced the younger girl before her.

The girl's tone shifted immediately, "Impa!" Then she quickly kneeled down to her superior, "Please forgive me! I did not know it was you!"

Impa spoke warmly, "All is forgiven. It seems I was right to leave you in charge of guarding the village entry. Good job." The girl seemed happy with Impa's praise and stood back up at attention. Solidly, Impa called out to the other Sheikah around her, "I have returned with a very important guest, the Princess of Hyrule herself." Impa gestured to Zelda behind her and the others took no time to bow in respect. Zelda was shocked to see how pleased and excited they were that she was there and knew this was indeed the loyal tribe of the Sheikah. Impa continued, "With her is an ally who risked his life to protect the princess, he is in urgent need of our aid and I have brought him here to receive help from the elders. Hyrule Castle is under attack from Terminan forces, so we cannot return to treat him in the city. Please help me protect the royal lineage at all costs." Whispers were heard around the Sheikah people with shock of learning about the invasion. Also, with doubt about letting Link in, he was a foreigner. Composed, Impa explained, "I understand you may have misgivings but please understand that we must act now!"

"Yes Chief!" Called out the Sheikah warriors as they made way towards the camp.

Zelda exclaimed to Impa, _"Chief?_ Why didn't you tell me you were elected as the new chief?"

"Because the tribe does not believe that a chief should be so far away from the village like I am when I serve you at Hyrule Castle. So I haven't accepted the role officially as I would rather stay by your side."

Zelda chimed, "I am forever grateful for you Impa," the princess giggled, " And it seems they've accepted you as their leader." The two continued into the town, Zelda clinging carefully to Link in her arms. He was silent and almost completely unmoving other than his shallow breaths that made his chest rise and fall. The appearance of his pale skin made Zelda frightful and she prayed to the Golden Goddess Hylia for his survival.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading another chapter! I tried to get this one out faster than the last so I spent a little less time editing...hope it's still readable. Anyway, I sincerely hope you've enjoyed reading thus far and feel free to leave a review!

 _Disclaimer: I don't not own "The Legend of Zelda". All rights belong to the respective owner(s)._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Unchosen Path

* * *

An elderly woman made her way through the village of the Sheikah feeling irritated by a group of children who were pestering her like a swarm of angry bees. The frantic children were pleading for her to help an absolute stranger and she could not fathom why. However, she was informed it was a request from the current Chief Impa -whom she took part in electing- and decided it was at least worth investigating. When the weary elder walked into the oak room of the infirmary, she witnessed several of her tribesmen holding down a distressed young man unto one of the beds. Next to him was a concerned young woman wearing clothes bearing the emblems of the royal family, causing the elders interest to peak. When she looked down at the man, his skin appeared ghostly pale except for the unnatural black colouring on his that followed up his right arm and travelled till it approached his neck likes eery vines. The odd boy was struggling furiously against the Sheikahs hold and was drenched with sweat as he breathed sharp, rapid breaths. The old women already determined two possible symptoms of his peculiar ailment, fever and acute agitation.

What she could not determine is why an outsider was being treated inside the village, so she questioned baffled, "I pray you have a good reason for this Impa."

The Sheikah Chief looked towards the elder slightly relieved, but her anxiety was still evident to the elder.

"Elder Ayita!" Impa approached the short elder and put a hand on her shoulder, "Please, I ask for your assistance, I believe this boy is a victim of poisoning and the only chance of him surviving is receiving your help!" Exclaimed Impa.

The old women scoffed curiously, "It is odd of you to ask me to save a foreigner, what caused this sudden exception?"

Impa did not get the chance to answer as the worried Princess Zelda beseeched Elder Ayita, "I beg you, please help him. He would not have taken ill if he hadn't stepped in to save my life," Link let out a shrill scream of agony as he pushed up against the Sheikah once more, "Please."

Before Zelda could continue her speech, the elder raised a hand and impatiently inquired, "And who may I ask, are _you_ child?"

It was Impa's turn to answer, "Ayita, that is her royal highness, Princess Zelda."

The wrinkled eyes of Ayita opened in surprise as turned back to the girl and saw the resemblance of the late Queen Rosalind, the former Queen of Hyrule.

Flustered the elder proclaimed, "Oh by the goddesses! A thousand apologies for your grace! I was unaware of your arrival!" The elder bowed, "I will do everything in my power to assist you." The loyal Sheikh elder made her way over to Link to examine his wounds carefully. She noticed the recently sealed wounds all over his body and wondered what caused such injuries. Without hesitation Ayita grabbed hold of Link's hand and inspected the cut, causing Link's hand to shake in her grasp. The blood in the elderly woman's face left as she explained uneasy, "This is no ordinary poison," She lowered his hand and spoke quietly, "This is the work of dark magic." Without warning, Link yanked his hand away from the old women and began wildly thrashing his body with unworldly strength causing the Sheikah to momentarily lose their hold on him. Howling out in pain as the darkness trailed up from his chest to his neck and to his jaw, the dark magic slithered off to his eyes, infecting his striking blue eyes into an intense deep blood red.

Harshly the rebel took hold of Zelda's wrist, pulling her aggressively towards him and bellowed with a possessed demonic voice, " _ **You! You killed them! Now it is you who must die!"**_ A sinister grin was carved onto Links face as a frightened princess gazed into the unfamiliar malicious glare of her friend, trying to set herself free. Thankfully, a Sheikah named Vihaan intercepted the rebel's grasp and ripped Link's hand away, pinning it back to the bed which caused Zelda to fall back.

"Are you alright your highness?" Vihaan called out, but only received a nod in confirmation from the future queen.

Zelda looked at the elder with horror written on her face, "What is happening?"

"The power of dark magic is tremendous and if in the hands of corrupt individuals, death and destruction lay in their wake," The elder looked up at Zelda, "Whoever created this spell wished to inflict upon you great suffering. The poison has possessive qualities, and it is infecting your friend's mind and body. If we do not remove it soon, he will scum to it."

The princess shook her head in disbelief, "Please save him!" Quickly the elder began murmuring a spell and moving her frail arms above the rebel's body even as Link violently struggled. As the words of the enchantment were spoken, Zelda noticed the faint glow of a golden light from the rebel's left hand. To her surprise, it was the symbol of the Triforce, pulsing erratically and growing stronger as the spell was spoken. Everyone stared at the sight curiously, unsure where the mark came from. Link roared in anguish as the darkness was slowly falling back, returning his skin and eyes to their natural colour. The infection shattered off his skin and disappeared into thin air around them. With one last extraordinary bright shine of the mark on his hand, all of the poison was gone, and Link's cries went silent as he fell back towards the bed no longer fighting the Sheikahs hold. Slowly the warriors let go and backed away from the rebel, content that his hostile behaviour was over.

Sighing, Ayita concluded, "It seems he was able to fight off the poison long enough for me to extract it. He should make a full recovery after dealing with some fatigue, fever, and possible hallucinations. Other than that he should be fine." Unexpectedly, Zelda ran and gave the elder a grateful hug and thanked her multiple times which received a quiet laugh from Elder Ayita and the other Sheikah. The princess returned to the young man's side and held his hand tenderly attempting to comfort him. The elder's smile faded, and she sauntered towards the Sheikah Chief speaking faintly in a firm tone, "I need to speak with you...outside."

Impa did not need further explanation and began following Ayita, but before she left, she looked towards Vihaan and gestured with her head to watch over the princess while she was gone. He understood her message. The Sheikah Chief felt the wet air hit her face while the twilight sky began to engulf the light of day into darkness as she walked through the door. Watching over the tranquil village, the elder stood on the porch of the infirmary lost in thought.

When Impa approached the elder Ayita said, "I believe you know what is it I wish to discuss, yes?"

Impa responded candidly, "The boy bears the mark."

The elder looked up at her old friend apprehensively, "No one has been given the symbol Triforce of Courage for hundreds of years. It is said that a hero is chosen by the goddess's when Hyrule must face the threat of evil once again," She looked overhead to the shadowy clouds, "Dark magic has not been seen since the Shadow Invasion. I fear dark times are before us, and if we are to survive them, we must be prepared to fight."

* * *

Link awoke to hear the sounds of merrily chipping birds from an open window as a beam of sunlight gently warmed his face, he felt very weak and noticed a cold sweat that traced his entire body. The rebel feebly opened his eye's and scoured the room for any source of life. His eye's journeyed to the end of the bed where the angelic princess laid her head in her arms peacefully asleep. _How long had she been there?_ Link attempted to move his body upright with all his strength but realised he had as much power as a newborn. The sudden movements of the blankets woke the sleeping royal and her eyes light up to see the rebel leader finally awake.

Hastily, Zelda made her way to Link and gently used her hands to guide him back to laying down, "You're still not recovered enough to move around, it's best for you to stay in bed and get some rest."

Link looked around the room and pondered aloud, "Where are we?" The rebel was confused by the bewildering sights around him. There was bizarre tapestry on the wall with the symbols of an eye and jewelled ornament weapons hung on the walls. Link had no memory of coming to this place and did not why he felt so strained.

The rebel listened to the soothing sounds of Zelda's voice, "We are in the Sheikah village just outside Karkariko."

"The what—" Link's trail of thought stopped as he saw something from the corner of his eye. His heart skipped a beat. It was his father in complete health and with a smile on his face. Heiden called out his son's name with his kind-natured demeanour and lent out his hand. Link struggled to push himself off the bed and tried to speak through his shock, "Father."

"Father?" Zelda questioned as she turned to look around, "But there is no one there Link." The rebel ignored her words and proceeded to try to stand. When his feet touched the wooden floor beneath him, he only managed a few unsteady steps before crashing down onto the floor like a rock.

"Father!" Link called out desperately as his arms failed to lift him. No matter how the rebel yelled to his father he did not move an inch. Instead, the previous lethal wounds that once killed the pirate captain slowly returned. Heiden's face sprouted with cuts and bruises while red blood poured out from the wound on his chest, trailing down his white shirt. Link watched in horror as his father's face showed misery as it became deathly pale. Link tried to crawl towards his lost parent while seeing Heiden falling into the ground as if was water, his arms reaching out to his son. The dazed princess rushed over to Link and scrambled to help him up, trying to convince him to sit down.

He attempted to move forward but Zelda held him back saying, "Link I'm sorry but he's not real! Your father is not there!"

But Link would not listen, "I must go to him! I have to help him!" Slowly the image of his father hands disappeared into the floorboards and the returning guilt surged through the rebel. He finally sat down and felt silent tears fall down his face. "He's gone…again," Link whispered, "I failed him again!" Zelda felt pity for the man before her and wrapped a comforting arm around him, letting him rest his weary head against her shoulder. The touch of his skin felt burning hot, and Zelda feared he was coming down with a high fever as the elder predicted. The princess put Link back on top of the soft blankets of the infirmary bed, removed his torn blood-stained shirt, and ran to grab a damp cloth. She gingerly placed it on his forehead and brushed his hair sweetly from his clear ocean eyes. The princess was very grateful his eyes had returned to the crystal blue instead of the scorching red, his natural colouring suited him best. Zelda spoke reassuring words to calm him down through the hallucinations, and when his exhausted eyes finally fluttered shut, she left him to sleep soundly.

* * *

Link found his memory to be very hazy when he woke a few days later. He vaguely remembered the feeling of drowning and feeling excruciating pain. He remembered images of his father and being cared for by the princess. _What had happened to him?_ The rebel raised his hands to see them both wrapped in bandages and another bandage wrapped around his head. Once Link had found his boots and put them on, he tucked in his pants into his shoes and he searched for his shirt. When he did find it, the shirt looked more like a torn bloody scrap of fabric than anything wearable so he decided he would have to go without it. Curiously, Link made his way through the door of the wooden hut he was staying in and crept through the grounds of the…Sheikah Village? Link remembered the princess telling him that and wished to find her in the unfamiliar town. As he walked, the fascinated faces of the village peoples spied on him with hawk eyes, trying to determine if he was friend or foe. They did not attack him, but he did not feel exactly welcomed either. Strangely enough, the rebel could hear a group of young Sheikah girls giggling while he walked passed them…shirtless. Link then felt acutely aware of his nakedness and began strolling at a faster pace out of their sight.

The air carried the sound of clashing swords and the rebel decided to follow his ears. To his surprise, the rebel saw Princess Zelda dressed in tight pants and wrapped in a white fabric around her hips and chest, which was very surprising since he had only seen her in heavy dresses. Swinging around a sword at one of the Sheikah tribesmen, she almost slashed his arm with strength Link did not know she possessed. She was fast, light on her feet and her strikes were calculated, never frantic. However, her opponent seemed to have more strength behind his blade and managed to push Zelda and her sword away, causing her to lose balance. With a swift kick to her leg, Zelda came tumbling down, and a sword was pointed down at her head.

Instinctually, Link began run to her aid but was stopped by an outstretched arm and heard the low voice of Impa speak to him, "Slow down boy, Princess Zelda is fine. It's only training."

Relieved, Link observed as Zelda received a hand to help her up and the Sheikah teacher guided her in structuring her stance. Link could hear the advice of her instructor as he demonstrated, "Keep your distance when faced against a larger opponent and wait for the right opportunity to strike," The Sheikah sidestepped around Zelda and plunged his sword towards an exposed part of her chest, stopping just before it grazed skin. "Then send your sword straight and true. They will be likely slower than you and won't know what hit them."

Zelda nodded and turned her head once she noticed Link standing near Impa and raced over to greet him, the dry grass crunching from under her feet, "Link you're up! How are you feeling?"

The rebel gave a friendly smile and uncrossed his arms, "I'm alright, I think. Though I don't have much memory of the last few days. Is my horse alright?"

"Yes, she's safe in the stables." Zelda said positively.

The young Sheikah teacher approached the group and charismatically cheered, "Hey looks like the beast has finally woken up from his slumber!" Link raised an eyebrow at the young man's words.

Zelda gestured to the man, "Link this is Vihaan, he was one of the first Sheikah to help us when we arrived in the village. He also helped me when—"

Princess Zelda muted herself as she did not wish to make the rebel feel guilty with the ending of her tale, but Vihaan was more than happy to, "When you almost broke the princess's wrist like a twig."

Link's eyes shot up with surprised and looked at the princess with remorse, " _I_ did that?" The princess nodded her head, but then promptly clarified, "Don't blame yourself, it's not your fault. You were under the influence of the dark magic poison, and you weren't yourself—"

Link's brows furrowed concerned, "Poison? Dark magic? What are you talking about?"

Zelda let out a sigh and Impa told the three youths in front of her to follow her into her study. Once there, Impa, Zelda, and Vihaan all brought Link up to speed, who was perplexed he had almost no recollection of the events that had taken place. "You told me we were in the Sheikah village? How come I haven't heard of this place before now?"

Impa, who was leaning on her desk answered firmly, "That is because the Sheikah tribe's sole duty that was given by the Goddess Hylia is to protect the royal family who holds the bloodline of her reincarnations." Impa turned to Zelda and spoke warmly, "Princess Zelda is the current reincarnation of the Goddess and I was given the honour of being her chosen guardian," The chief looked back at Link, "My tribe has faced many wars and has been on the break of extinction many times. The last descendant of the Goddess tasked our tribe with protecting the divine relics and allowing the sacred realm to remain hidden from the world, that is why we left the Village of Karkariko for it was no longer safe."

Link was not used to all this speak about the goddesses and "sacred realms". For him, the goddess represented a symbol of hope, where people could find light in the darkest of times and keep on moving, but to hear of people speak as if the goddesses were real and watching over them made Link feel very unsure. Silence fell upon the group as Link took in all the information presented to him while he rested on the back of his chair.

Hesitantly Impa spoke up once again, "There's more I need to tell you, all of you."

The youths all looked up at Impa curiously. After Impa took a moment to think of how she was going to explain herself, she continued, "Link, when you were fighting against the dark magic that was infesting your body a mark appeared on your hand. It was a mark from the goddess Farore," Impa moved towards Link and removed the bandage over his left hand to reveal a black outlining of the Triforce that had been imprinted. Link lifted his hand confounded at the symbol and looked up at the Sheikah Chief as she explained further, "That symbol is only given to those chosen by the goddesses themselves. You bear the mark of the Triforce of Courage, an emblem to signify that you are the Hero of Legend Link. You are the next reincarnation that will rise against the evil that haunts this world."

Link shifted in his weight and protested, "Please tell me your joking, the Hero of Legend is nothing but a myth."

"It's no myth Link." Zelda told confidently and went to grab Links hand, causing the marks on Zelda and Link's hand to gleam with a brilliant light together, "I was granted the Triforce of Wisdom, as did many queens of the past. This is a sign, it is your destiny to be the Hero of Legend." Overwhelmed Link retracted his hand and stood up, "Look you've got the wrong guy, I'm no hero."

The Sheikah Chief raised a composed hand trying to calm the rebel, "I understand you will need time to accept this fact, but please stay. There's more news." Link sat down hesitantly, avoiding looking at Zelda and allowing Impa to speak once again, "A messenger from the capital sector has not returned since the events of the invasion. I fear the castle has been taken under siege. " Zelda's face dropped, her expression distressed by the news. "Chin up princess, I'm only saying this to prepare you for the worst but we won't truly know what happened until the messenger has returned. I've sent a scout to locate the messenger and we will hear news shortly."

An idea struck Link, "You have many scouts yes?"

Impa answered warily, "Yes, more than enough to reach every border in every province."

Link persisted, "May I ask a favour? I've still not recovered enough for long travel but I need to relay a message to Hylia's Isle. Could you use a scout to send such a message? I believe it would be the fastest way."

Impa looked to the side towards her princess searching for her approval.

Once the princess gave a nod of the head Impa turned back to the rebel and replied, "Alright, but it may take a few days as many are still on patrol."

Link nodded gratefully and was first to leave the meeting, he craved some fresh air.

Once the sun had finally dropped from the sky and the world was engulfed by night, Link rose from the tree he had fallen asleep against and heard the sounds of music and cheering faintly in the distance. From where he sat he could see the moonlight reflecting over a serene lake and felt the soft caress of the sweet wind. The rebel pulled his tired body from the long grass and began heading back towards the village square. It was strange, the once busy village would almost have appeared vacant if not for the loud voices and drums that came from farther down the village. The brilliant flame of a massive fire broke through the black of evening and was surrounded by the Sheikah tribe peoples. They were all eating steaming food and laughing with one another; which made Link feel like even more like an outsider. So, since he was just on the cusp of the villagers, he turned to make his escape back to his tree but was stopped by the call of Vihaan who was walking up to him with two other young males. The Sheikah warriors wore long, snug, dark blue clothing that was had white cloth decorated with the same eye symbol as before and they carried an array of weapons all over their uniforms.

"Hey, it's Sleeping Beast! You've finally come to join us!" Said Vihaan, puzzling Link with the nickname but he decided to ignore it.

Instead, he had other questions he wanted answering, "What's the celebration for?"

The Sheikah scoffed in entertainment, "Why Princess Zelda's arrival of course! It's not every day we are visited by royalty!" Vihaan inched closer to Link and whispered, "…And the celebration of your return Mr Hero of Legend!"

Link rolled his eyes irritably, "Don't start." With Link's displeased expression Vihaan gave the proclaimed hero a shove and smirked, "Oh don't be a grumpy Goron. Come on, enjoy the celebration." The young Sheikah warrior pulled Link along towards a circle of carved logs that surrounded the perimeter of a giant fire. Vihaan and Link were handed hot, delicious smelling food by a child villager and Vihaan stated casually as he started eating, "I hear you are a great warrior."

Link raised an eyebrow and gave a curious chuckle, "Oh? And where'd you hear that?"

Vihaan gestured across the fire where Link spotted Princess Zelda who was being doted upon by a group of the women villagers. They had braided her hair and were trying to place jewels and flowers within the strands. She was dressed in fine crimson silks that contrasted her light skin. Link had to laugh at her bashful expression, he could tell she was embarrassed by their worship. Zelda had heard Link's laugh from across her and smiled to see he had returned in higher spirits. Zelda pondered how someone with such a warm smile could have such a dark past.

Without warning the tune of the music changed from a light melody into an exhilarating beat which gained some excited calls from the crowd. Link's eyes followed as several female Sheikah who were dressed in bright red robes and ribbons moved towards the fire and began twirling in a synchronized motion, their skirts mimicking the flickering of the flame. Based on rebel's surprised expression, Vihaan decided to explain, "This is the Sun Dance, a ritual in which the fire represents the sun's power and the dance symbolizes rebirth; this dance is commemorating the reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia and her hero. Most people have forgotten the origins of the royal family, but the Sheikah will never forget." Link followed the shadows of the dancers as the drums were beaten boldly and a high pitch flute sang merrily in tune. From across the way Link could see a very young and adorable dancer girl trying to convince Zelda to join them by pulling on her arm and pleading sweetly. Eventually, the princess complied and joined the circle dance. The women held hands and skipped around the blaze with the drum guiding their feet. The rebel stared at the princess star struck. Her fair skin glistened with the light of the flame and the Sheikah clothing clung to the princess curves perfectly; she was stunning. The rebel realised he was not the only one to think so as the tribe seem tranced by the princess's presence. They adored her and had unwavering loyalty to her family. Link felt a twinge of fear of some of the villagers plotting against him after discovering his identity and his past actions against the crown. His ties with the princess and Impa were most likely the only reasons he still had his head.

Soon the drums stopped and Sheikah tribe let out cheers of encouragement and approval out to the dancers. Zelda wandered in the direction of Link and Vihaan to meet them, she looked at Link and admitted, "I'm glad you came to enjoy the feast with us!"

Link smiled and teased, "Well I couldn't miss out on seeing the show, quite the performance your highness."

Zelda blushed and tried to brush it off, "I was simply following the other girls…"

The youths turned as the crowd went quiet and the tribe was faced towards Elder Ayita who stood patiently in front of the bonfire.

When all was silenced, she began, "My friends, as you know we are gathered here tonight to celebrate the return of our beloved Goddess who lives in the heart and soul of Princess Zelda. May the golden goddesses protect her and lend her strength." The tribe hailed in salute, but the elder hushed the voices, "However, there is one more amongst us who deserves recognition." Ayita beckoned Link to walk to her and Vihaan pushed Link forward till he stood by the old woman, "This man is the Hero of Legend reborn," Surprised whispers circled around Link, "And he is to be welcomed by the tribe and is allowed entry into the village as ordered by the Chief. May the goddesses bless him through these uncertain times." The tribe gave a shout of approval as an uncomfortable Link briskly moved from the fire and he began heading away from the celebration.

Link could no longer hear the villagers while he hiked up the steps to the hut he awoke in only to be stopped by the call of a worried Zelda, "Link? Link!" When she caught up to him she inquired, "Are you alright? You don't feel too ill do you?"

The princess stretched out a hand towards him but he pushed it away, "No, I'm fine."

Feeling hurt Zelda asked, "What's wrong?" The rebel looked down at the princess and moved down the steps to meet her. He looked into her sombre eyes and said, "I'm sorry but I cannot be the hero you want me to be, my place is back on the Isle."

Princess Zelda stared back at him determined and explained, "I was told stories of the Hero of Legend as a child and I believe that _you are_ that hero Link. Only one person is given that mark every few centuries to help them save Hyrule from the hidden evils the lurk within the Kingdom, and _you_ were chosen."

Link joked, "I suggest you should find someone more qualified, how about that General Devegar who likes you so much? Seems much more fit to be a hero. Or how about Vihaan? I'm sure he would help you."

When Link turned his back to her and made his way back to his house, Zelda became extraordinarily frustrated and emphasised, " _Don't you get it_? You are the _only_ one who will be granted that gift. Without your strength, the invaders will succeed and all of Hyrule and its people will be lost!" When Link seemed uninterested in listening, she changed strategies, "What would be the point of the rebellion if all the people you are trying to liberate are killed or enslaved? What would have been the point of your father's death?"

Link glared at the princess furiously, "The rebellion is against the royal family who has led this country into a place of famine, poverty, and fear. And if I remember correctly, it was your father's servant who hunted and killed my father," Link struggled to contain his anger, "I watched as my father was cut down right in front of me when I was still a boy." Link towered over Zelda, she did not move but in the back of her mind she felt small and timid, "I will not follow with blind loyalty like these people and I do not serve any king. You can choose a new hero."

Suddenly Vihaan came storming from behind Zelda and pushed Link away from her to a safer distance, "You have no right to speak to the princess this way. After my tribe came to your aid and has treated you with nothing but respect, you act like this? Like a wild animal?"

"I never asked for any of this." Link spat as he pushed the Sheikah back hard.

"You ungrateful traitor!" Roared Vihaan as he charged at Link, causing him to fall and hit the ground. When the Sheikah tried to pin him, Link used his foot to force Vihaan away giving him time to stand. Link still felt weak from the effects of the poison and felt dizzy after hitting his head, yet the rebel sent his fists into the Sheikah's face. When one of his punches missed its target, Link was left open, allowing Vihaan to strike his head, chest, and then sending his knee into the rebels gut. Link fell feeling drained and lightheaded but was tackled onto the grass with Vihaan pulling a dagger from the sheath on his leg and placing the steel onto Link's neck.

Vihaan sneered, "I know who you are and I know you will never deserve the title of hero. The only thing you were right about is that the princess should choose a new hero instead of a pathetic criminal like you!"

"Vihaan stop!" Called out Zelda desperately. Vihaan did not respond to the princess. He glowered at Link but then finally shifted his weight off the rebel and darted away.

Zelda ran to Link who was attempting to raise himself up and placed her hands gently on his back observing his cut cheek, "You're hurt!"

"I'll be fine." Link stated bluntly.

When Link shakily got to his feet he trudged to the hut. Zelda saw that he was struggling to go up the stairs so she sprinted to help him and ignored his protesting that he was able to do it alone.

She helped him to his bed and silently turned to leave but before she opened the door she heard Link utter, "Wait," He slowly tried to stand and limped to her to grab her hand, "I shouldn't have said those things, and I shouldn't blame you for your father's actions,"

Zelda didn't move to face Link, "It's fine." And to took back her hand to leave.

* * *

Author's Note: I always find it weird how the formatting of the chapters changes when I upload it to this website. I know how to properly format a story but I can never seem to do so on here... oh well. Anyway, hoped you liked it! I'm curious what you guys think of the story at this point so please feel free to leave a review!

 _Disclaimer: I don't not own "The Legend of Zelda". All rights belong to the respective owner(s)._


End file.
